
Glass £jk2JL 

Book ■ " - _ 



GENEALOGICAL 



AND 



BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 

OF 

KEOKUK COUNTY 

IOWA 



ILLUSTRATED 



Chicago and New York 

Thf. Lewis Publishing Company 

1903 



y • 






jr 5 7*' 
'*1 



INDEX. 



Abel, Henry Jr.. 529 
Adam, Michael, 385 
Allen, David E., 400 • 
Allen, Wesley W„ 472 
Allison, Chester, 365 
Ashcraft, A. M.. 129 
Attig, Levi, 325 
Axmear, George W., 68 
Axmear, J. C, 66 
Axmear, John, Jr., 65 
Axmear. John, Sr., 63 

Bakehouse, Charles, 537 
Baker, De Witt C. 305 
Baker, George B., 239 
Bamtord, Samuel E., 100 
Bartow, George L„ 141 
Bartow, George P., 142 
Bell, George R., 539 
Bermel, John, 218 
Besser, Nicholas, 387 
Bond, Mrs. Mary J., 482 
Bower. Frederick L.. 552 
Bowman, S. H., 567 
Brady, A. C, 470 
Bragg, William H„ 321 
Brice, Robert S.. 199 
Bridger, Alfred F., 455 
Bristow, John H., 375 
Brolliar, Lafayette, 464 
Brooks, John T., 11 
Brown, A. G., 136 
Brown, C. M., 203 



Brown, Harry G.. 136 
Brown, Joseph, 303 
Brunt, S. W„ 120 
Bucher. Aaron, 30 



Cameron, Ira F., 436 
Campbell. John, 27n 
Carmichael, A. W„ 562 
Carrell. Eli H., 43 
Clark, John, 272 
Clarke, John C, 395 
Clary, Leonard, 56 
Clemens, Ferdinand, 559 
Clyde. David G., 378 
Coffman. Ralph G.. 205 
Conner, Jacob, 96 
Conner. Samuel, 29 
Cover, Ulysses G., 319 
Crabb, Curtis. 261 
Crocker, Benjamin F., 156 
Croneweth, John W., 115 
Croneweth. Philip. 115 



Delong. Leander, 116 
Dildine, Henry T„ 373 
Dill, Daniel, 39S 
Dings, Samuel, 207 
Doggett, Eugene, 71 
Duensing, Henry F.. 52 
Duke, H. E., 362 
Duncan, Jonathan, 277 



INDEX. 



Edgerton. Joseph, 371 
Eldridge, Madison P., 58 
Elliott, George W., 410 
Ellis, John M., 179 
Engeldinger, John, 213 
Etter, William L., 561 
Evans, Edward, 395 



Tollman. Henry, 69 
Follman, Louis, 73 
Foster, John C, 169 
Fritzler, Ellis. 164 



Garrett, Andrew, 324 
Gemmill, Robert H„ 296 
Gillfoy, Samuel, 333 
Glandon, C. M., 534 
Goeldner, Ferdinand L., 127 
Goeldner, Hugo F., 112 
Goeldner, John F., Ill 
Goeldner, John G., 127 
Goeldner, Theodore L., 564 
Greenlee, James A., 312 
Greeson, Dayton, 467 
Grothe, Henry, 492 
Gwin, William W., 264 



Halferty, David, 186 
Hamilton, James A., 184 
Hamilton, Junious, 523 
Harding, William E., 255 
Harris. J. N. L., 557 
Hart, Nancy M., 79 
Hawk, Allen, 174 
Hawk, Ezra, 170 
Hawk, Jacob S., 167 
Hawk, Morgan, 208 
Heald, Allen, 434 
Heaton, Samuel E., 328 
Henderson, David N., 426 
Henkle. Harmon, 14S 
Herr, Simon P., 275 
Higgins, Warren, 357 



Hinnah. William, 489 
Hinshaw, Levi S., 348 
Hinton, Frank D„ 360 
Hoge, John, 137 
Hoge, Smith B., 138 
Holzwarth, John, 383 
Humes, W. H., 424 
Hurst, A. S., 298 



Irons, Charles, 513 
Irons, John. 510 
Irons, Levi, 519 
Irons, Warren C, 521 



Jacobs. Joseph B.. 162 
Johnson. Albert P., 236 
Johnson, Charles A., 235 
Johnson. O. N., 545 
Johnston, Curtis G., 134 
Jones, David, 4S4 
Jones, Jacob, 442 
Jones, John P., 308 



Keep, John O., 460 
Keiser, Brothers, 504 
Keiser, Charles O., 505 
Keiser, David, 221 
Keiser. Samuel L.. 505 
Kelley, William R., 97 
Kelly, John J., 126 
Kelly, Thomas, 126 
Kendall, Charles F„ 159 
Kirkpatrick, S. H., 555 
Kirkpatrick, Wade, 181 
Kleinschmidt. Gottlieb E. 124 
Kramer, Nicholas, 217 



Lawrence. O. D., 338 
Lawson. William. 352 
Lemley, J. W., 193 
lewis, David P., 475 
Linder, James, 94 



INDEX. 



Marshall. Robert A., 524 
Martin. David P., 2G8 
Martin, R. S.. 25] 
McCay, Calvin. 46 
McCormick, John H.. 92 
McDowell, Robert, Sr., 281 
McElroy. Joseph K.. 242 
McFarlane. Daniel C, 392 
McKinnis, Charles, 288 
McQuaid, Charles E., 10:? 
Meyer, Frederick, 51 
Miller, Cap E„ 144 
Millhouse. H. A., 388 
Mohme, Henry J., 544 
Morgan. Gilbert S., 20 
Morgan, Thomas A,, 27 
Morrison, James. 197 
Morrison. John. .18 



Nauman. Charles A.. 139 
Nauman, Emil D., 141 
Neas, Alexander M., 102 
Needham, William H.. 501 
Nelson, J. M., 411 
Newkirk, John O., 514 
Newsome, W. W„ 344 
Newton, Hanno P.. 531 
Nugent, Claiborne J„ 477 



Ogden. Irvin, 340 
Oldenburg, George, 154 
Oliver, Leonard B., 238 



Parkhill. Samuel. 34 
Payne. John E., 423 
Payne, Robert H., 421 
Pfannebecker, Henry, 490 
Pfannebecker, William, 139 
Polke, August. 48 
Porter, J. W.. 241 



Ramsey, John L., 230 
Randall, JamesP., 440 
Randolph, J. F., 542 
Randolph, John, 495 
Rangger, Joseph A., 214 
Reed, Charles, 294 
Ueinert, H. H., 226 
Reinert, Michael, 228 
Rentfro. James A., 54 
Richardson. Brothers, 33 ' 
Richardson, Francis P., 480 ' 
Richardson, George, 33 - 
Richardson, Gilbert B., 105 
Richardson, Joel, 36 
Richardson, Jonathan F., 191 
Richardson, Joseph M., 118 
Richmond, Chauncy. 211 
Riggen, John A., 414 
Robertson, James B. A.. 23 
Rosecrans. Henry C, 335 



Sayler, Godfrey, 432 
Schiltz, Edward, 74 
Schipfer, Brothers, 114 
Schipfer, Francis A., 113 
Schriever, John W., 541 
Schroeder, John, 380 
Schwenke, Fred, 49 
Scott, Erastus P., 566 
Shaffer, William A., 447 
Shrader, Ananias A., 267 
Singleton, James, 444 
Singmaster, Charles F., 503 
Singmaster, Samuel. 14 
Singmaster, Thomas, 438 
Smith, Evan, 36G 
Smith, Hasadiah, 453 
Smith, Thomas, 367 
Smith, William E.. 448 
Smith, William H.. 346 
Smith, William H., 453 
Smock, Finley M., 84 
Snakenberg. Charles, 509 
Snakenberg. Henry, 548 



INDEX. 



Snakenberg, John J., 498 
Snakenberg, Louis, 506 
Snakenberg, Louis D., 451 
Snakenberg, William, 403 
Speirs, James R., 194 
Stalker, Aaron, 527 
Steel, Charles J., 450 
Stockman, J. Campbell, 458 
Stought, Anthony, 430 
Stoutner, John S„ 258 
Strohmann, Deidrich H., 250 
Strohmann, Fred D., 130 
Swearingen, James M., 81 
Swickard, Daniel, 109 



Terrell, Crisley, 90 
Terrell, James J., 285 
Tresslar, Harvey O., 536 
Trumbauer, Charles a., 224 



Ulin, A. J., 150 
Utterback, A. M., 177 
Utterback, Elliott, 146 



Utterback, Josiah, 145 
Utterback, Landon, 249 



Valerius, Matt, 497 
Voltmer, David H. 



Wagamon, William, 377 
Wagner, Henry P., 106 
Warnock, Alexander, 262 
Wenger, Joseph H., 246 
Wheeler, Ross S., 391 
White, Jonathan P., 406 
Whitson, Pertiller, 314 
Williams, Harry D., 220 
Williams, J. D., 459 
Wilson, Wesley W., 404 
Wonderlich, Charles C, 27.8 
Woods, William R„ 291 
Worley, William B., 300 
Wyllie, James, 486 

Young, William H„ 330 
Yule, Samuel, 189 




, / ,(j 'Utx-L^7^ 



A GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL 
HISTORY 

OF 

KEOKUK COUNTY, IOWA. 



HON. [OHN TINLEY BROOKS. 



Tin's is a utilitarian age. in which effort must contribute to some line 
of usefulness whereby may he promoted the welfare of the individual or 
the public. The marvellous energy and enterprise of the west has brought 
about a great change in the cities there. This change is the result 
of the aggregate effort of thousands of enterprising, wide-awake, and in- 
dustrious citizens, of which class the gentleman named above is a rep- 
resentative. He entered upon his business career with little capital, but 
he possessed determination and a willingness to work. Indolence and 
idleness constituted no part of his nature, and as his financial resources 
have increased, lie has made judicious investments, which have classed 
him among the substantial residents of his community. His business 
methods are progressive. He is systematic in all that he does, and as 
the architect of his own fortunes he has built wisely and well. As time 
has passed, the life of Mr. Brooks appealed to his friends as one which 
was worthy of honor, and he is therefore the honored representative of 



1-' GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his district in the state senate. Mr. Broooks is actively engaged in the 
business life of the stirring little city of Hedrick, being at the present 
time vice-president and cashier of the First National Bank and cashier of 
the Hedrick State Savings Bank, both in Hedrick. 

Mr. Brooks was born October 17, 1850, the place of his birth having 
been Benton township, Keokuk county, Iowa. He is the son of John ( j. 
and Alary (Kyger) Brooks. John G. Brooks was a native of Butler 
county. Ohio, where he was reared to manhood, and came to Keokuk 
county in [842. Two years later lie permanently located in Benton 
township, where he passed the life of a highly respected citizen engaged 
in farming, his death occurring in [880 at the age of sixty-two years. 
Until the breaking out of the Civil war he gave allegiance to the prin- 
ciples of the Democratic party, but on the issues which precipitated 
that great struggle he followed Abraham Lincoln's principles; for whom 
he voted in [860, and thereafter supported the Republican party. He 
filled some of the minor offices of the township, having been a justice 
of the peace for a period of years. He was an active member of the 
Methodist church from boyhood. His marriage to Mary Kyger oc- 
curred in Butler count}' when he was in young manhood. She died in 
1853, aged about thirtv-three years. She bore her husband six chil- 
dren, viz: Joseph Walker, deceased; Daniel Bigelow, deceased; Eliza- 
beth, deceased; Samuel K.. of Hedrick; John Tinley, subject; and 
Mary Frances. Joseph Walker Brook,, and Daniel Bigelow Brooks, of 
these children, served in the Civil war. The former enlisted as private 
in Company F, of the Seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, and 
was afterward transferred to the Thirty-third Missouri Infantry, as 
first lieutenant, and as such was in command of his company at Hel- 
ena. Arkansas, where in battle he was killed July 4, 1863. The latter 



GENEALOGICAL AXP BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORl 13 

served as a private in the Nineteenth Iowa \ olunteer infantry from the 
summer of [862 until Ik- was killed in actum at Sterling farm, Louisi- 
ana, in the summer oi [864. 

Air. Brooks was reared m Benton township, and the old home 
stead was the scene of the boyhood labors and pleasures in which he 
indulged, he in the meantime becoming familiar with the branches 
of study taught in the district school. This was later supplemented by 
more advanced work in the schools at Sigourney, and at the Iowa 
Wesleyan University, at Mount Pleasant, where he graduated in 1875. 
Deciding on the law as a profession, Mr. Brooks then entered the office 
of VVoolson & Babb, at Mount Pleasant, and after finishing the re- 
quired course of reading passed an examination before the court and 
was admitted to the bar at Sigourney in 1876. He immediately formed 
a partnership with Hon. John A. Donnell, with whom he continued in 
association for five years. While successful in the practice of law, 
the forces of circumstances and opportunity led him, in 1S81. to dis- 
continue the active practice oi law and engage in the banking Ihisi- 
ness as cashier of the Union Bank at Sigourney. lie has. however, 
maintained his law library and continued his professional studies, 
though not practicing, in company with Mr. W. H. Young, he bought 
in 1882 the Waugh farm, in Benton township, and thereon laid out 
the town of lledrick. Soon after this, in connection with the same 
gentleman, Mr. Brooks established the Bank of Hedrick, a private 
banking institution, which they conducted until 1899, when it was 
merged into the Hedrick State Savings Bank, and of this our subject 
has continued as cashier, and Mr. Young is the honored president. 
In 1900 Mr. Brooks became interested with others in the organization 
of the First National Bank of lledrick, of which he is vice-president 



14 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and cashier. Mr. Brooks is also connected with the Hedrick Tele- 
phone Company as president, lie is extensively connected with the 
real estate and farming interests of the county and takes great in- 
terest m the raising of line stock. 

The public life of Mr. Brooks has been one of equal activity and 
interest with his business life. He served a period of ten successive 
terms as mayor of Hedrick. He has been for seventeen consecutive 
years the treasurer of the Independent district school board. His 
political affiliations have always been with the Republican party, in 
whose life he has been a tower of strength in the local organization. 
His standing in the community and the services which he has rendered 
the party in the past made him a marked man in the conventions of 
the partv as the time passed, hut not until 1901 could he be prevailed 
upon to accept of a nomination. In that year he became a candidate 
for state senator for the Twelfth senatorial district, and in the election 
which followed he was chosen to fill that office. Fraternally Mr. 
Brooks is a Knight Templar Mason. The family life of Mr. Brooks 
began May 21, 1870, when he chose for a life companion Miss Lucy 
E. White, daughter of James H. and Emeline White, of Mount Pleas- 
ant, Iowa, who presides with grace over his pleasant home. She is 
the mother of four bright and interesting children, namely — Mary, 
Florence, Alice E. and John W. 

SAMUEL SINGMASTER. 
No history of Keokuk county would be complete without mention 
of Samuel Singmaster, who for many years contributed largely to the de- 
velopment of the county ami to its progress and improvement along sub- 
stantial lines. He was a man whom to know was to respect and honor. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 15 

Without ostentation or display, he lived so as to win the high regard and 
esteem of all with whom he came in contact. There were no exciting 
chapters in his life history, yet there was much worthy of emulation, for 
he was always true to his friends, faithful to his family and reliable and 
trustworthy in business. He passed away April 18, 1899, and it is safe 
to say that no death in the community has ever been more deeply regret 
ted than that of Samuel Singmaster. He accomplished much in life that 
yet benefits those who knew him and he left to his family an untarnished 
name, which is above great riches. 

Mr. Singmaster was born in McCungie, Lehigh county, Pennsyl- 
vania, September 17, 1807, and was therefore ninety-one years of age 
when called to his final rest. His parents were also natives of Pennsyl- 
vania and were of German lineage. In their family were eight sons and 
one daughter. During his early youth Samuel Singmaster labored indus- 
triously upon his father's farm, receiving but limited educational privileges. 
He served a three-years' apprenticeship in a tannery of Philadelphia and 
afterward worked for two years in the same establishment for the small 
salary of seventy-two dollars per year. When twenty-four years of age 
he accompanied his parents on their removal to Perry county, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

An important event occurred in his life the following year, for he 
was married in Berks county, Pennsylvania, to Mary C. Seischolts, a 
vnunglady then twenty-two years of age. For many years they traveled 
life's journey together, sharing with each other the joys and sorrows, the 
adversity and prosperity which checker the careers of all. They reared, 
too, a family who have been a credit to their name. The year after his 
marriage Samuel Singmaster and his brother Jacob established a tannery 
in Millerstown, Perry county, which they conducted successfully for a 



16 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

lew years, when they sold out and with the proceeds built a larger tan- 
nery in the same town. Their business increased until it enabled them 
to employ sixty men. However, they sold their second factory in order 
t<> build a still greater one and the third one was sold to Air. Miller, their 
brother-in-law. He found it impossible to pay promptly and after a 
time the tannery was destroyed by tire, causing a total loss, as there was 
no insurance. Mr. Sing-master and his brother never tried to collect the 
consideration and therefore they suffered to a considerable extent from 
the lire. 

About that time our subject removed to a more western district in 
Pennsylvania and turned his attention to farming, purchasing one hun- 
dred and twenty acres of land, upon which he made partial payments. 
In speaking of this period of his life he said he had "four work- horses 
with one eye among the whole drove." lie possessed a resolute spirit 
and determination and from early morning until dewey eve he was found 
in the fields, and in harvest time he reaped a good crop of wheat, aboul 
fifteen hundred bushels. This brought a good price, one dollar ami a 
half per bushel, and enabled him not only to meet his indebtedness, but 
also to have one thousand dollars clear as his earnings. He then sold 
bis farm and purchased a larger one of one hundred and forty acres, 
paying one-half of the amount down. A year later he sold this place at 
a good profit and at that time took up bis abode in Millerstown. about 
thirty miles from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a home 
worth fifteen hundred dollars. With his remaining capital, and also a 
sum that he borrowed, he embarked in the cattle business, purchasing 
droves of from sixtv to one hundred head of cattle in Ohio and driving 
them to the Philadelphia market. This enterprise also proved a profit- 
able one. He also drove some sheep and horses to market, but he Eoun ! 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 17 

that lie could realize- nothing off of these and accordingly confined his 

attention to dealing in cattle. ( )ne of the marked characteristics of Mr. 
Ringmaster's career was the readiness with which he recognized that 
business conditions would prove either profitable or disastrous, and choos- 
ing, of course, the former, he carried forward his labors until thev 
brought to him a very desirable competence. Attracted by the oppor- 
tunities of the growing west he made his way to Missouri, in 1842, but 
finding that he could not obtain a clear title to land in that state he came 
to fowa. He was pleased with the west and in Keokuk county he pur- 
chased in 1843 a claim on which were a few hogs and cattle, buying 
these of George Washington Maley, one >f the honored pioneers of 
the county. He paid fifteen hundred dollars for a tract of land compris- 
ing three hundred and twenty acre--. Returning home he sent out Frank 
Xorih to take charge of the purchase. In 1X44 lie sold Ins real estate 
in Millerstown for fifteen hundred dollars. Of this amount fine hundred 
dollars was paid in cash and for the remainder he took wooden clocks 
and leather, but while the family were en route from the Keystone state 
to Keokuk county, Iowa, the weights of the clocks were either lost or 
stolen between Pittsburg and Burlington, and in consequence the time- 
pieces sold for a mere tritle. He retailed the clocks and leather among 
his neighbors in Iowa, but as he gave credit to many new acquaintances 
he afterward found that it was difficult to make collections. lie how- 
ever brought with him one thousand dollars, which in 1S44 he invested 
111 calves, and thus he became one of the first cattle dealers oi Keokuk 
county. lie was assisted in his work by his son Charles and it was a 
noticeable fact concerning the family history that the father and sons 
always worked together in entire harmony, continuing business a- a 
family affair through main years. For a long period Mr. Singmaster 



18 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

carried on his stockraising interests with success. His first large sale 
was hundred head of cattle, which brought him twenty-five hundred dol- 
lars. His first home was a primitive log cabin, such as was common in 
pioneer times, and after he had made his sale of the one hundred head 
of cattle he had his sons haul lumber from Iowa City, with which he 
erected a larger and more modern residence, which remained his home 
until his death. As time advanced his profits increased, he made judi- 
cious investments in real estate, becoming one of the most extensive 
land owners of this part of Iowa. The business was conducted by the 
father and sons until the time of the death of William Singmaster, his 
youngest son, in 1891. When Charles, another son, arrived at the age 
of fifty-two years, his father deeded to him eight hundred acres of land 
on which he yet resides, while the son Thomas remained in partnership 
with the father until the latter's demise. The Singmasters probably 
became more widely known through their importations of fine horses 
than in any other of their business transactions. In 1875 the firm be- 
gan business in this way, William and Charles having charge of the 
enterprise while the father furnished the capital. In that year they im- 
ported four head of horses and gradually increased the number until 
their importations were very extensive, and between the years 1884 
and 1888 each son imported from eighty to one hundred and forty 
head. 

When Mr. Singmaster removed to Iowa, the family consisted of 
himself, wife, and five children, namely: Charles F., born February 29, 
1834; Sarah, born June 15, 1836; Eliza, born March 9, 1838; Thomas, 
born Febrbnary 16, 1840: and James, born July 4, 1842, died on June 
16, 1866. The same year another child, Henry, was added to the fam- 
ily. He was born October iS, 1844, and died December 18, 1845. Will- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. V) 

iam was born April 16, 1848, and died in Keokuk county, April 17, 
(891. Alary Etta, born December 18, 1840, was married October 22, 
1878, to Conrad Ramge, and died February 20. 1S98. On tbe 13th of 
September, [853, Eliza was also called to her final rest. Three of the 
children are still living. Charles F., whose personal sketch appears else 
where; Sarah, the only surviving daughter, is the wife of David Keiser. 
of Keota ; and Thomas, the other surviving member of the family, is 
represented on another page of this work. Mrs. Singmaster passed away 
a few years prior to the death of her husband. She was born in Pennsyl- 
vania, July 15, 1810, and died December 17, 1894, at the advanced age 
of eighty-four years. 

Mr. Singmaster departed this life April 18, 1899, when more than 
ninety-one years of age. dying after a three weeks' illness of la grippe. 
From the obituary notice which appeared in one of the local papers, we 
quote the following because of the estimate it gives of the life and char- 
acter of him of whom we write: 

"What can I say of Samuel Singmaster? You have all known 
him. You have all loved him. You have all respected and Ik mured 
him. He was a man through and through — every inch a man. He was 
held in the greatest esteem by his neighbors, friends and acquaintances. 
Such an ideal estimation is truly coveted by all. The deceased was a 
man in whom all sought counsel in time of trouble. He never faltered in 
responding as a wise counselor to a troublesome or vexed problem of a 
neighbor." 

In the family Mr. Singmaster was a most devoted husband ami 
father, and to his friends he was ever loyal and true, while his business 
associates found him to be reliable, trustworthy and courteous. All who 
knew him had for him the highest respect, and his memory is yet en- 
shrined in the hearts of many with whom he was associated. 



JO GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

GILBERT S. MORGAN. 

Almost fifty yeears have passed since this gentleman arrived in 
Keokuk county and he is justly numbered among- her honored pioneers 
and leading citizens, his home being in Adams township. As an agri- 
culturalist he has been prominently identified with her up-building and 
development. His is an honorable record of a conscientious man. who 
by his upright life has won the confidence of all with whom he has come 
in contact. 

His father, Hon. Theron Avery Morgan, was one of the prominent 
citizens of this locality in early days. He was born in Massachusetts 
in January. 1809, and was principally reared in that state. From there 
he removed to Ohio and in 1S54 came to Iowa, locating in Keokuk coun- 
ty, where he entered land from the government and improved the farm 
on which our subject now lives. In early life he married Sylvia Mal- 
lory, also a native of Massachusetts, and to them were born five chil- 
dren, all of whom reached man and womanhood. Both parents lived to 
a ripe old age, the mother being eighty-one at the time of her death, and 
the father ninety-two. Some idea of the high esteem in which he was 
held by his fellow citizens can be gathered from an obituary published 
at the time of his death, which is as follows : 

"At the little village of Webster. Keokuk county, at ten o'clock. 
February 6, 1901, occurred the funeral services of the Hon. Theron 
Avery Morgan. While the bells of the village church were tolling and 
the people were gathering from all the country-side to pay their last 
respects to one of their oldest citizens, the funeral carriages were driven 
from the home of Gilbert S. Morgan to the Methodist church of Web- 
ster. It was this farm from which he took his last journey, that a half 
century ago Mr. Morgan, then in the prime of vigorous manhood, en- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 21 

terecl as a homestead, and it was from then that his life became closely 
mingled with the early life and development of Keokuk county. At the 

church the services were conducted by the Rev. Smith of the Methodist 
Episcopal church, assisted by the Rev. Matlock of the Congregational 
church. Among those gathered there were men who when they, beard- 
less boys of twenty, had marched out to defend the Union, had spoken 
of the then gray-bearded Lieutenant Morgan as "Father Morgan." 
Rugged men with heads of gray were assembled to pay a last token of 
respect to their fathers' old friend and contemporary. Rev. Smith spoke 
of Mr. Morgan's life in Keokuk county, how in social life, in phil- 
anthropy and in politics he had ever represented that which was noblest 
and best, lie dwelt upon the strength, purity and nobility of the life 
which had given of its vigor to uphold and support our legislature in 
those days in the '50s and '60s when men of strength were needed. Men 
and women were present who knew of the unselfishness and practical 
Christianity of his life as a neighbor. Men were present who knew 
of his sterling integrity and steadfast honor in political life and in posi- 
tions of public trust. Children and grandchildren were present who 
knew of the sweet, unselfish nobility of his family life, which constitutes 
true greatness. The relatives present were Mrs. Victoria Morgan, of 
Grand Junction; Mrs. Mary M. Griswold, of Ottumwa ; Mr. and Mrs. 
G. S. Morgan, of Webster. The grandchildren present were Misses 
Daisy and Mary Griswold, Morgan Griswold and George O. Griswold 
and Mrs. W. T. Wilson of Ottumwa; Avery Morgan, of Washington; 
Mr. and Mrs. William Montz, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Cook, Mr. and Mrs. 
William Heaton and Alden Morgan, of Webster. Among others from 
abroad were Mrs. John M'Donnough, of New Sharon; and Theron Mor- 
gan of South English. The pall bearers were D. P. Brown, Alex 



22 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1 [earst, D. Swails, John Van Tyle, T. Goeldner and Hon. Fred E. White. 

The interment took place at the little cemetery of Webster, where twelve 
years ago was buried Sylvia (Mallory) Morgan, wife of the deceased. 
Every one felt to be true the words of Rev. Smith in his sermon : 'A 
strong man has fallen'." 

Gilbert S. Morgan was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, April 17, 
[841, and was the fourth child and third son in his father's family. He 
was about thirteen years of age when he accompanied his parents on 
their removal to Keokuk county, and on the home farm in Adams town- 
ship he grew to manhood, acquiring a good practical education in the 
scIh 11 ils of the neighborhood and also gaining an excellent knowledge of 
farm work in its various departments. He remained with his parents 
and continued to assist in the operation of his father's land until twenty- 
nine years of age. 

On the 14th of November, [869, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
Morgan and Miss Sarah A. Ervin, who was born in West Virginia, De- 
cember 15, 1848. Her parents, Elias and Maria ( Messenger) Ervin, 
were also natives of that state, the father's birth having occurred in Pres- 
ton county. In 1865 Mr. Ervine brought his family to Iowa and after 
spending about a year in Iowa count}- came to Keokuk county and took 
up his abode in English River township. To him and his wife were 
born fourteen children, twelve of whom reached mature years and seven 
of the number are still living. In this family Mrs. Morgan is the sev- 
enth in order of birth and was about sixteen years of age when she came 
to Keokuk county. She received a good common school education. By 
her marriage she has become the mother of four children, namely : Stella, 
wife of William Heaton of English River township: Alden, who mar- 
ried Leonia Hall and resides in Adams town-hip; Rollin E., who mar- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



23 



ried Mayme Lechty and lives in Iowa City; and Virgil G., who is at 
In mie and assists his father in the operation of the farm. 

After his marriage Mr. Morgan located on the old homestead where 
lie now lives, and devoted his entire attention to general farming and 
stock raising until [872, when he went to California and spent one year 
on the Pacific coast engaged in fruit farming. At the end of that time 
he returned to this county and has since followed general farming and 
stock raising uninterruptedly, owning a well improved and valuable 
place of three hundred and twenty acres, which was once the property of 
his father 

Politically Mr. Morgan has been a life-long Republican, and has 
taken quite an active interest in local politics, serving two terms as -asses- 
sor, and justice of the peace for several years. Socially he is a mem- 
ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Through the long years 
of his residence in this county he has become widely known, and his 
many excellent traits of character have gained him the high regard of his 
many friends. 

JAMES BROOKS AYERS ROBERTSON. 

For over a third of a century James Brooks Ayers Robertson has 
been among the progressive and energetic citizens of Keokuk county, 
and at present is living practically retired at his pleasant home in Kes- 
wick. For three years he served his country (hiring the war of the Re- 
hellion, participating in some of the most arduous campaigns of that ter- 
rible conflict, and in years of peace, no less than in those of war, he has 
bravely performed his duty, and is justly entitled to a place in the nation's 
roll of honor. 



24 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Robertson was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, on the 
rtli of September, 1836, and is a son of John Robertson, a native of 
Philadelphia. His paternal grandfather, John Robertson, Sr.. was a 
native of England and was a sea captain, who was lost at sea when his 
son John was but eight years old. The latter was then bound out and 
was reared in a Quaker family about sixty miles from Philadelphia. 
There he was united in marriage to Miss Maria Frieze, a native of Ches- 
ter county, Pennsylvania, and they began their domestic life in Down- 
ington, that county, Mr. Robertson being engaged at that time in team- 
ing between Philadelphia and Pittsburg. Later he removed to Wrights- 
ville, York county. Pennsylvania, and for two years was engaged in 
boating on the canal. His next home was at Safe Harbor, Lancaster 
county, the same state, where he was employed in the iron works for 
seven years, and in April, 1855. he came to Iowa, landing at Daven- 
port "ii the 17th of that month. He first located in Muscatine county, 
but in the fall of 1855 removed to Cedar county, where he entered land 
and engaged in farming until 1863. Selling his property there he then 
came to Keokuk county and settled where our subject now lives. Here 
he died at the age of seventy years, honored and respected by all who 
knew him. Politically he was a life-long Democrat, and religiously was 
an earnest and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
taking an active part in its work for many years. His estimable wife- 
died at the age of seventy-three years. They were the parents of seven 
children, two of whom died in infancy, while the others reached man and 
womanhood and four are still living. Three of the sons were num- 
bered among the boys in blue during the Civil war, these being John 
S., George A. and our subject. John enlisted in the Thirteenth Missouri 
Infantry in 1861, and was captured at Lexington, Missouri, afterward 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 25 

paroled and came home and later re-enlistd in the Eight Iowa Cavalry; 
lie was captured at Macon, Georgia, and held a prisoner at Anderson- 
ville for about six months. George A. belonged to the same company 
and regiment as our subject and served about three years. 

Mr. Robertson, of this review., was the second child and second son 
in his father's family, and was about eighteen years of age when he 
accompanied his parents on their removal to this state. He had already 
acquired a good common school education. While a resident of Cedar 
county he was married, January 19, i860, to Miss Clarissa M. Wright, 
a native of Ohio, who came to Iowa with her parents when a small child 
and was reared in Cedar county. By this union there were eleven chil- 
dren, and the family circle has never been broken by the hand of death, 
the youngest being now eighteen years of age. In order of birth they 
are as follows: John H., now a resident of Nebraska; Anna M., the 
wife of John Schuble of Oklahoma; George Allen, a merchant of Okla- 
homa; Maggie, the wife of John Brandenburg of California; James, 1!. 
A., a prominent lawyer and now county attorney of Lincoln county, 
Oklahoma; Elizabeth A., wife of Michael Gill of Altoona, Pennsylvania; 
Meda, a teacher in the high school of Chandler, Oklahoma; Alice M., 
who is attending the Methodist Episcopal Training School in Chicago; 
Warren K., who is attending college in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 
Charles Howard, a printer of Chandler, Oklahoma; and Ralph K., who 
is at home with his parents and is still in school. 

After his marriage Mr. Robertson began farming upon rented land 
and later purchased a small tract which was covered with a heavy growth 
of limber, and to the improvement and cultivation of that place he de- 
voted bis energies until he entered the service of his country during the 
Civil war, enlisting in August, [862, as a private in Company B, Twenty- 



20 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry; but he was afterward transferred to 
the First Battalion Veteran Reserve Corps and was promoted to fourth 
corporal, serving with that rank when discharged on the 29th of June, 
1865, after three years service. 

At the close of the war Mr. Robertson removed from Cedar county 
to Keokuk county and was first engaged in farming upon rented land 
in Adams township for three years. He then purchased eighty acres 
of land on the north side of Eagle river and w.is engaged in the im- 
provement and cultivation of that place for six years. In the meantime 
he established a store at Aurora, Adams township, the first in this t >wn- 
ship, and conducted the same for four years, during which time the 
Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad was built., and having 
faith in the future development of Keswick he removed to that place 
in the spring of 1880 and erected the second store building there. He 
carried on general merchandising here with good success for twenty- 
two years and he still owns the store building, which he now rents, 
having retired from mercantile pursuits. 

Mr. Robertson has taken quite an active and prominent part in pub- 
lic affairs, being elected county commissioner in 1886, and so acceptably 
did he fill that office that he was re-elected, serving in all six years with 
credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He 
has also filled the offices of justice of the peace, school director and con- 
stable, and his official duties have always been the most promptly and 
faithfully discharged. By his ballot Mr. Robertson supports the men 
and measures of the Democratic party, and in his social relations he is 
connected with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, in which lodges he has filled all the chairs. He has been active 
in promoting the interests of his adopted county along many lines and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 27 

has materially aided in its upbuilding and development. As an honored 
pioneer and representative man of the community he is also worthy of 

the high regard in which he is uniformly held. 



THOMAS A. MORGAN. 

Thomas A. Morgan is a leading representative of the business inter- 
ests of Webster. Iowa, where he is engaged in general merchandising, 
and he also carries on general farming and stock raising in this county. 
Of excellent business ability and broad resources, he lias attained a 
prominent place among the substantial citizens of his part of the county 
and is a recognized leader in public affairs. He has won success by 
his well directed, energetic efforts, and the prosperity that has come to 
him is certainly well deserved. 

One of Keokuk county's native sons. Mr. Morgan was born in 
English River township, May 17, 1867. His father, Thomas Morgan, 
is a native of Kentucky, from which state he removed to Indiana with his 
parents during boyhood, and was there reared and married. In 1840 
became to Iowa and settled in English River township, Keokuk county, 
where he took up a tract of government land and engaged in farming 
throughout his active business life. This worthy pioneer is still living at 
the ripe old age of eighty-two years, honored and respected by all who 
know him. He is a stanch suppi irter 1 if the Republican party and has 
acceptably filled the offices of township trustee and assessor. Religiouslv 
he is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has taken 
quite an active part in its work. He was twice married and by the first 
union had eight children. For his second wife he wedded Miss Mary 
McBride. the mother of our subject. She was born and reared in Penn- 



28 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sylvania and died in Iowa when about sixty-five years of age. She was 
the mother of four children, of whom Thomas A. is the youngest. 

In the county of his nativity Thomas A. Morgan grew to manhood, 
receiving a good practical education in the common schools of English 
River township. With the exception of six months spent in California, 
his entire life lias been passed in Keokuk county. N He followed farming 
until 1893, when he removed to Webster and embarked in. general mer- 
chandising, opening a store at that place which he still conducts. He car- 
ries a well selected stock of dry goods, groceries, etc., and by fair and 
honorable dealing has built up an excellent trade, which is constantly 
increasing. Besides his store he owns other property in the town and 
has a valuable farm of four hundred and forty, acres, all in English 
River township with exception of eighty acres. With the assistance of 
hired help he operates this land and is meeting with marked success as a 
farmer and stock raiser. 

In November, 1887, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Morgan 
and Miss Malissa Axmear, a native of Virginia and a daughter of John 
and Julia Axmear. the former of whom was born in Holland and the 
latter in Germany. To our subject and his wife have been born five 
children, as follows: Clarence, Ada, Blanch, Grace and Helen. By his 
ballot Mr. Morgan supports the men and measures of the Republican 
party. He is a worthy representative of that class of progressive busi- 
ness men who lead quiet, industrious, honest and useful lives, and con- 
stitute the best portion of a community. Wherever known he is held 
in high regard, and is certainly deserving of honorable mention in the 
history of his native county. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 29 

SAMUEL CONNER. 

Among the many well-to-do and able farmers of Lancaster township 
nunc have attained a more enviable reputation, for integrity and general 
ability than Samuel Conner. The interests of township and county 
have been closely identified with his history from the early days. Com- 
ing as he did in the year 1S44 to Keokuk county, when the pioneers 
were just beginning to settle here, it early devolved upon him to lend 
his arm and his brain to the development of the lands and institutions of 
the new country. 

He was born on November 9, 1836, in Tippecanoe county, in the 
state of Indiana. His father, Daniel Conner, was born and reared in 
Ohio until he arrived at the age of nineteen, at which time he settled in 
Indiana. In 1843 ne again moved to Iowa and in the year 1844 settled 
in Lancaster township, there being at that time almost no settlers in 
that part of the state, so that it was necessary to reclaim the land and 
clear it for farming. The father of Daniel Conner was of Irish descent 
and spent the greater part of his life in old Virginia, dying in Iowa in 
advanced years. Samuel's mother died when he was a very young boy 
so that he remembers but little about her and her family, except that she 
was a woman of fine qualities and well connected. 

He was one of four children, there being to daughters and one son 
besides himself. He came to Lancaster township at the early age of 
nine years, long before the schools had been developed as they now are. 
He, however, made the best use of all opportunities presented to him in 
the old log schoolbouse. He remained upon the farm at home assisting in 
its multitudinous duties until he arrived at the age of twenty-three years, 
when he married Mary E. Jordan, who also came to Keokuk county 
when a small child, being a native of the state of Illinois. After his 



30 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

marriage lie at once located in the old farm house about two hundred 
yards from where he now lives and here he has remained throughout 
the years following, carrying on the varied and arduous business of 
an agriculturist, and giving all his time and enegies to the care of his 
farm and large family. Nine children in time were gathered at his 
hearthside, six daughters and three sons. These were Oliver, now dead ; 
Lottie, wife of John W. Scott, a prominent farmer of Lancaster town- 
ship: Rohena, wife of W. B. Morrow, also a prosperous farmer in the 
same township: Eva, now dead: Daniel F., who is doing a successful 
business in Hayesville as a dealer in fine horses; Tima, wife of C. D. 
Parkhill of the same township; Iona, now dead; Erne, who is unmar- 
ried, and Isaac A. remain at home. 

Mr. Conner has always been a successful and representative farmer, 
now owning two hundred and eighteen acre- of finely cultivated land, 
which constitutes one of the best farms in all the adjacent country. In 
political beliefs he has been throughout his life an ardent Democrat and 
has rendered to Democracy many invaluable servics and has held vari- 
ous important offices in the county. The large family of children horn 
to .Mr. Conner, while adding to his responsibilities and labors, must prove 
a source of much gratification t<> him. Any parent might well be proud 
of a life-work exemplified in children of the character and attainments 
<>i these, and as the years go by upon the old homestead, the subject of 
this record, surrounded by the many evidences of this life-work and its 
successes, may well say "It is well." 

AARON BUCHER. 

There are some compensations to the man who in early life is de- 
prived of parental care and nurture. It is indeed hard for a child to 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 31 

work out his own destiny, to chouse a vocation in life and qualify himself 
fur it, but in the end the rigorous experiences undergone serve but to 
strengthen and make self-reliant the developing man and leave an imprint 
which all time cannot eradicate in the character subjected to Mich influ- 
ences. Such a man, hewing his own way, unaided by the strong arm of 
a helping father or the tender love and sympathy of a mother, was Aaron 
Bucher. 

He was born January 27, 1835, 111 Sandusky county, Ohio, the state 
which has furnished so many of the strong energetic sons who have 
helped to make the west what it now is. His father. Frederick Bucher, 
was a native of Pennsylvania and died when our subject was only twelve 
years of age. His mother. Susanna Wimer, also died when he was only 
seven years old. Thus he was deprived, while very young, of the 
example and support of both parents and from that time on was thrown 
solely upon his own resources. He made his home with George Wimer 
from the death of his father until he was twenty-two years of age; on 
November 20, 1844, he located in Keokuk county, where during the long 
winter months he went to the old log schoolh< aise, and by his diligence 
and earnest effort acquired a good education, which was of great assist- 
ance to him in his later years. As soon as he was large enough he went 
to work at farming and with his accustomed zeal and ability soon became 
familiar with all its varied duties and responsibilities. At the age of 
twenty-three vears he had become fully qualified to assume the mainten- 
ance and responsibilities of a home, and November 1, 1857. was united 
in marriage to Martha J. Chastain, who also came to this county in the 
early days when it was still undeveloped ; she was a native of Illinois and 
came to Jefferson county, Iowa, in 1843, and to Keokuk county in the 
spring of 1S-J4. She proved to be a helpmeet not in name alone, but in 



32 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the working- out of the future of all the family. Three children were 
born to Mr. Bucher: Iowa Keaster; Janette, wife of Jacob Conner, a 
prosperous and well-known farmer of Lancaster township; and Fan- 
nie, wife of Charles Conner, likewise an able and well established 
farmer of , the same county. 

lie owns three hundred and forty acres of fine farm land and also 
some valuable properties in Hayesville. In 1874 Mr. Bucher located 
on the farm, where he now lives. This he cleared and improved, putting up 
the houses and barns now there, and constructing fences, tilling the soil 
and developing the farm in every way until it has become one of the 
most fertile and inviting in the country. He has carried on all branches 
and departments of farming most successfully, and has been noted for 
the tine character and abundance of the stock which he has raised and 
sold from the farm. 

He lias been a life-long Democrat, at all times espousing the inter- 
ests and being true to the principles of the Democratic party, to which 
lie has rendered invaluable services as occasion gave opportunity. He 
was treasurer of his school district for some nine years, during which time 
he advocated and carried out many reforms and improvements in the 
schools. He is one of the oldest settlers of Lancaster township and has 
left the stamp of his influence and ability upon many of its institutions. 
He is now reaping the rewards of his early efforts and trials. He has 
reared his family in plenty, giving them all the advantages the country 
affords, and has lived to see his untitled and uncultivated farm "blossom 
as the rose." He has seen it constantly improving and his fortunes 
increasing, and it cannot but afford him great satisfaction to look back, 
amid the respect and admiration of all, through his long line of successes. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 33 

GEORGE RICHARDSON. 

Prominent in the affairs of Lancaster township and well known to 
all its citizens is the firm of Richardson Brothers in Hayesville. Of the 
firm George Richardson is the junior partner, but active in its manage- 
ment and in the assumption of its varied responsibilities and innumerable 
duties. His history has been for many years past intimately associated 
with that of his brother, Joel Richardson, whose life attainments have 
been elsewhere recounted herein. 

He was born September 19, 1848, in Steady Run township near 
Tick-ridge, and is the seventh child and fifth son in his family. When a 
youth of fourteen he moved to Lancaster township, where he received his 
education in the district schools, and at nineteen became, like his brother, 
a teacher in Lancaster township. He taught and studied during the 
long winter months for about eight years and employed his summers in 
farming and capentering. 

He was united in marriage on the 24th day of October, 1875. to 
Anna Lister, who was born in Clark county, Indiana, April 14, 1850, 
and was the daughter of Abram and Lucinda Randolph. Her mother 
was also born in the Hoosier state and her father was born in England, 
whence he came to America after having passed but four summers, and 
was reared in Indiana as a farmer, removing to Keokuk county in 1868. 
He located in Steady Run township and died in the year 1894. Lucinda 
Randolph is still living and is the mother of seven children, five sons and 
two daughters, of whom Anna Lister was second daughter and third 
child. She received a superior education in the common schools of the 
township. 

Mr. George Richardson came to Hayesville in 1881 and opened up 
business as a general merchant, in which his efforts were crowned with 



,34 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

more than ordinary success. In 1882 President Arthur recognized his 
fitness for the position and appointed him postmaster, and he has con- 
tinued in the same position under succeeding presidents until the present 
time. In 1885 he formed a partnership with his brother Joel, whom 
we have before referred to, and continued the business in the name of 
Richardson Brothers. He has been a stanch supporter of the Demo- 
cratic principles and candidates, was township clerk for about two years, 
served as road supervisor, and in many other capacities has rendered 
efficient and highly acceptable services. The diversity of experience 
which has fallen to the lot of Mr. Richardson has been in itself an educa- 
tion, and coupled with the energy and ambition that have always charac- 
terized him. has given him a breadth of view and action that few possess. 



SAMUEL PARKHILL. 

The subject of this sketch has resided in Keokuk county for thirty- 
four years and is one of its old substantial farmers, who has now 
retired from active life. Hugh Parkhill, his father, a native of Scot- 
land, followed farming all his life and died there aged fifty-six years. 
His wife was Sarah Fitzpatrick, a native of Ireland, and died there at 
the age of fifty-eight. They were the parents of nine children, five sons 
and four daughters, all reaching maturity except the youngest daughter. 

Samuel Parkhill, the third child and third son, had his birth in 
northern Ireland, May 31, 1838; there he enjoyed the advantages of the 
schools until sixteen years of age. In 1S53 he ventured alone on the 
voyage across the Atlantic and first settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, were for 
five years he engaged in the bakery business. In 1X58. removing to 
Johnson county, Indiana, he conducted a farm until August, [862, and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 35 

then enlisted in Company K, One Hundredth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. 
serving until the end of the war. He was mustered out as sergeant in 
[865. In this long period of service Air. Parkhill took part in the fol- 
lowing engagements: Vicksburg, Chattanooga, .Missionary Ridge; he 
was with Sherman on the march to the sea. and took part in the review 
at Washington at the close of the war. 

At the end of his service he returned to Johnson county, Indiana, and 
was there married on November 15. 1865, to Louisa Young, born in that 
county, December 15, 1840. Her parents were Joseph and Mary | Moore) 
Young, the father a native of Virginia and the mother of Ohio, and thev 
were early settlers of Johnson count}-. The father died at the age of 
seventy years and the mother in her sixty-fifth year, and thev had nine 
children, who grew to maturity, of whom Airs. Parkhill was the seventh 
child; her parents came to Iowa in 1853 but returned to Indiana in 1862. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parkhill moved to Jefferson county, Iowa, in 1865, 
where they remained until January, 1869, and then bought a farm of 
eighty acres in Lancaster township, Keokuk county; to this he after- 
ward successively added eighty, eighty and one hundred and twentv-six 
acres, making a finely cultivated estate of three hundred and eighty-six 
acres, of which he still owns one hundred and sixty-six acres. He 
carried on his successful farming operations until 1899, when he retired 
from active work to Sigourney. 

The family consists of four children, Laura E. having died when 
one year of age. Willard W. is a farmer in Lancaster township; 
Sarah A. Utterback resides in Sigourney; Charles D. is a farmer in Lan- 
caster township ; and Joseph Y. is also a farmer in Lancaster town- 
ship. In his political views Mr. Parkhill is a stanch Republican, is a 
member of Robert E. Low Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and 



36 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

belongs to the Christian church. While not yet an aged man, Mr. 
Parkhill, after a life of such varied experiences, may well rest and enjoy 
the competency which he has earned. 



JOEL RICHARDSON. 

Joel Richardson well illustrates that type of man who, in a new 
country, begins his career in a log schoolhouse as pupil, then as teacher, 
then as a growing factor among his fellows, and in later years holds 
one after another of responsible offices until he becomes a recognized 
leader of men. Such meteoric development we are inclined to look 
for in hction rather than in every day life, but in him whose record 
follows, it is sober truth. 

He was born in McDonough county, Illinois, on the nth day of 
.August, 1839. His father, Anson Richardson, claims Ohio as his natal 
state, whence he moved to McDonough county, where he engaged in agri- 
cultural pursuits, going from there to the state of Iowa and locating 
at Steady Run in Keokuk county, finally settling in Lancaster township 
in the year 1862, where he still lives at the advanced age of eighty- 
seven years. 

His mother, Lydia Weller, came with her people from Kentucky 
in the early days and settled in Indiana. She also lived to the ripe 
old age of seventy-two years, having celebrated her golden wedding in 
the bosom of her family and her friends, an occasion which was made a 
time of great rejoicing and festivity. Sixteen children were born to 
her, eight of whom lived to maturity. 

Of these children Joel was the third and was eight years old when 
he came to Keokuk county and thence went to Steady Run, where upon 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 37 

the rough slab benches of the old log schoolhouse he learned his early 
lessons and became so proficient that at the age of twenty-two years he 
was given the position of teacher and for eighteen years thereafter in 
the winter time continued his work of teaching - , doing farming and 
carpentering in the summer time. His first marriage in i860 in 
Steady Run was to Mary C. Brown, who died leaving three children, 
Schuyler; Julia, wife of Perry Weller of Sigourney, a prosperous pho- 
tographer; and Viola, unmarried. By his second marriage in 1876 to 
Mary E. Hubbard he had five children. His wife was born in Lan- 
caster, Keokuk county, Iowa, and was the daughter of William H. 
and Samaria (Chastain) Hubbard, who were early settlers of Keokuk 
count}'. 'J "heir children were Lucia, Ralph, Carl. Ray and Frank. In 
1863 he came to Lancaster township and located on the farm where 
he now lives. This consists of one hundred and ninety-one acres of 
rich bottom land running" down to Skunk river, and from the porch 
of his house may be had a beautiful view - across his highly improved 
fruitful land. He does a general merchandise business together with 
his brother George, whose history appears in this work, and combines 
with this very successfully the managing of his farm. 

He espouses the principles of Democracy and usually casts his vote 
in support of the Democratic candidates. He has risen from one po- 
sition to another as the years go by, having served in many township 
offices ; he was justice of the peace for about ten years, during which 
time his decisions and official acts were guided by great discretion and 
wisdom; was also clerk of the courts for a considerable time; and during 
all the fifty-seven years of his residence in Keokuk county he has been 
intimately identified with the growth of its institutions, and has always 
been esteemed as one of the most influential and competent men of the 



38 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county. I [e made use of every opportunity in life, and obstacles to him 
were but stepping stones to further achievements and development. 

HON. JOHN MORRISON. 

Among the many prominent sons of pioneers in Keokuk county, 
Iowa, is the postmaster at Hedrick, the honorable gentleman named 
above, who is a native of Scotland, where lie was born January 30, 1835. 
Noting briefly the salient points in the family history of Mr. Morri- 
son, the father's name was John, and he was a native of the same 
country, and by occupation was a cotton spinner. He grew to maturity 
in the old country, married, and with his family in 1S42 came to 
America and located in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. He engaged 
in the cotton spinning business for a period of two years, and then re- 
turned with his family to his native land. In the spring of 184S, 
however, he again resolved to try his fortunes in the new world, and 
this time tried the west, where he remained for a short time in Wis- 
consin. He, however, soon came east and located in Ohio, and for 
several years plied his trade in the city of Steubenville. In 1854 he 
came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and located on a farm in Benton town- 
ship, on which farm he lived until his death, in 1872, at the age of 
sixty-three yeears. His father before him was named John, and was 
a weaver by occupation. He also came to America with his family 
arid settled in Ohio, in about the year 1846. His wife died soon after 
coming to America, and he started on a return soon afterward to the 
old country, but on the voyage he was taken sick and died. The 
mother of the immediate subject of this sketch was Katherine Mar- 
noch. She also was a native of Scotland, and coming to America 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 41 

with her husband died in 1873, at about the age of seventy-two. Her 
father was James Marnoch, who lived and died in Scotland. Mr. 
and Mrs. Morrison became the parents of four children, James, living 
in Hedrick; Robert, deceased; Mary, the deceased wife of Henry Dean; 
and John, the subject of this sketch. 

John Morrison was a lad of seven years when the family first 
came to America., and on the second trip vac but fourteen. He was 
civen a very fair education in his youth, and began work quite early 
for himself in the cotton factory at Johnston, Scotland. lie engaged 
in this business for the first ten years of his business life in different 
places in the east, and came with the family at the time stated abi ive 
to Keokuk county. He had learned the tinner's trade in the east, and 
continued to work at that trade during the first part of his life in the 
west at Pella, Iowa. Mr. Morrison married on Christmas day )f 
1M50, Martha Doolittle, who was a native of the Hoosier state, and 
whose family had removed to that state from the old Green Mountain 
state of Vermont. In 1857 ner people settled on a farm in Benton 
township. After the marriage of our subject he settled on a farm in 
the township near his people and had just begun to get it into proper 
shape when the war cloud gathered over the nation. Putting aside 
all other considerations, for he felt that his duty was to his country, 
he enlisted in the army as a private soldier and enrolled in Companv 
K, of the Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which organization he 
served for three years. He was in some of the most severe battles of 
the middle west, was at the surrender of Fort Donaldson, the battle of 
Shiloh, and in many minor engagements. Just subsequent to the 
battle of Shiloh he sickened of the typhoid fever and passed a period 
in the hospital. In 1S64 he received his honorable discharge on ac- 



42 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

count of expiration of term of service, and returned to the bosom of 
his family. He did not remain long at home, however, for he received 
an appointment as foreman of a government tin shop at Nashville, 
Tennessee, and repairing to that place he passed the last year of the 
war in the service of the government. Returning to Keokuk county, 
he followed farming until 1875, in the meantime serving as member 
of the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth general assembly, represent- 
ing Keokuk county, the dates being 1868, 1870 and 1872. In the 
latter year he was appointed as a special envoy by President Grant In 
cari'v to the German and Austria-Hungarian empires a postal ami 
trades mark treaty to each country. In 1874, after his return from 
the old country on this mission, Mr. Morrison was elected to the 
position of county auditor of Keokuk count)', and removed to the county 
seat, Sigourney. Here he remained until 1886. In 1882 he received 
the appointment of postmaster at Sigourney, and he served until Pres- 
ident Cleveland removed him for offensive partisanship in September, 
1885. In 1886 he removed to Iledrick. then a new town and in partner- 
ship with J. T. Brooks and \Y. H. Young, he erected a flouring mill 
at that point, which he conducted for a period of some ten years, being 
also actively engaged in the buying of grain during that period. In 
1896 he was elected to the legislature by the Republicans of his district, 
in which he served with great credit to himself and satisfaction to his 
constituents. In the following year he was appointed postmaster at 
Hedrick, a position which he still holds. It is unnecessary to say 
that Mr. Morrison is a staunch Republican, and an earnest supporter 
of the administration. He has been a Republican ever since the party 
was organized, and he is proud to state that his first vote was for John 
C. Fremont in 1856. Fraternally Mr. Morrison affiliates with the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 43 

Masons, and is a member of J. M. Hedrick Post of the Grand Army 
of the Republic, of which he is past commander. Mr. and Mrs. Mor- 
rison are the parents of a family of seven children, Jessie, the wife of 
John Palmer; Mary, wife of Charles Wharton; Mina, wife of J. C. 
Burns; Jenny, wife of Professor Samuel Byers, Ames, Iowa; John, Jr.; 
Ruth, a graduate of Ames College; Josiah S., also a graduate of Ames, 
and at present engaged with the Chicago & Northwestern railroad as 
a civil engineer. The son mentioned above as John Morrison, Jr., 
was a well-educated boy, a graduate of West Point Military Academy. 
At the time of the breaking out of the Spanish-American war. he was 
assigned to duty with Troop A, Fourth United States Cavalry, in the 
Philippines, where he was killed January 18, 1901, while in com- 
mand of Troop A. Mr. Morrison and his family have always been 
prominently identified with the social life of the sterling little city of 
Hedrick, where they are held in the highest esteem by a large circle 
of friends. Mr. Morrison has a wide acquaintance in the county, and 
his fidelity to all duties in life's relations has gained him the regard 
of his fellow men to a high degree. 

ELI H. CARRELL. 

Eli H. Carrell, a retired citizen of Sigourney, Iowa, was born in 
Logan county, Ohio, August 15, 1838, and is a son of George B. and 
Censaline (Shirley) Carrel!, both of whom were natives of Virginia. 
The Carrell family is of Irish origin, while the Shirley family originated 
in England, George B. Carrell was reared in Virginia, where his 
father had located when he came as a lad to America. At Charlestown 
Mr. Carrell married and with bis wife moved to Greene county, Ohio, 



44 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

about 1836, and two years later to Logan county, Ohio, where our sub- 
ject was born. Mr. Carrell was a cabinet-maker and learned his trade 
in Charlestown. In connection with this he was also undertaker, as 
was the custom at that time, and he laid away the remains of fully six 
hundred persons in Logan county and vicinity; he following carpenter- 
ing also. He was much respected as a true, honest and upright man. 
\bout [866 he moved to Iowa and located on a farm in Washington 
county. His death occurred at Adell, Dallas county, Iowa, and his 
burial was at Mount Pleasant. His eighty years had not only silvered 
his hair, but had made a record for him of an exemplary life. He was 
one of the most active supporters of the Methodist church in his neigh- 
bor! d and was always ready to promote its usefulness to the extent 

of his means. Formerly he was a Whig, but embraced the principles 
of the Republican party at a later date, and was a great admirer of 
John C. Fremont. He filled many offices of trust and was a justice of 
the peace both in Ohio and Iowa. 

The mother of our subject was born at Charlestown, Virginia, and 
her father, William Shirley, was a soldier in the war of 1812, holding 
high rank. She died in her seventy-fifth year. She bore her husband 
six sons and three daughters: William C, who is a merchant at Charles- 
town, Virginia ; Samuel S., who is in the oil business at Hartford City, 
Indiana; Edwin, who is in business at Adell, Iowa; Eli H., who is our 
subject; Miss Annie, who resides at Adell; Margaret, who is the wife of 
Milton Singmaster of Mountaingrove, Missouri; George W. ; Censaline 
L, who is Mrs. 11. ,1!.. way; and James, who died at Mt. Pleasant. Iowa, 
aged forty-one years. 

Eli H. Carrell, a retired citizen of Sigourney, Iowa, was born in 
raained until about nineteen years of age, receiving his education m the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 45 

common schools and assisting his father. At the age of eighteen he 
went as a carpenter's assistant with his brother Edwin in Logan county, 
and the next year accompanied him to Mercer county, Ilinois, but two 
years later he returned to Ohio. Here he soon built up a good business 
in carpenter work, extending it to building and contracting, remaining 
so engaged until 1862. He then went back to Mercer county and re- 
mained there at work until his brother and family decided to move to 
Washington county, Iowa, when he accompanied them. For one year 
he was in the pump business, but again returned to Ohio and remained 
there until 1868, when he rejoined the family in Washington county, 
Iowa. In 1873 he came to Keoknk county, and opened a furniture and 
undertaking business, in which he continued at Richland for eight years, 
changing to dry-goods and groceries for two years, and then bought a 
farm in Lancaster township. Mr. Carrell operated the farm for three 
years and then located in Sigonrney, engaging in the grocery, flour and 
feed business, in which he continued until December 12, 1901. at which 
time he sold out and retired from activity. 

Mr. Carrell is regarded as a very substantial citizen of the county. 
For many years he was prominent in politics and very acceptably held 
many of the local offices. In national affairs he supports the Repub- 
lican party, but in local matters he uses his own judgment. Fraternally 
he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the 
Masonic fraternity. In June. 1874, Mr. Carrell was united in marriage 
with Mary A. Swearingen, who was born in Montgomery county, Indi- 
ana, on June 3, 1854, and is a daughter of W. A. and Elizabeth (Hall) 
Swearingen, and three children were born to this union, namely; Dr. 
Oscar Vane, a dentist of Sigonrney ; Owen G., a teacher in the Deaf- 
Mute College, at Austin. Texas, being a deaf-mute himself and well ed- 



46 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ucated ; and Laura A. As one of the influential citizens of Sigourney 
Mr. Carrell is highly regarded, but he is also esteemed as a reliable, pub- 
lic-spirited, charitable and most useful resident by the large circle who 
have known him for so many years. 



CALVIN McCAY. 

Since an early epoch in the development of Keokuk county, Calvin 
McCay has been numbered among its citizens. To know the early 
life of our subject in this county, we have but to picture the conditions 
common here five or six decades ago. Much of the land was wild, 
awaiting the awakening energy of civilization to transform it into richly 
cultivated fields. Schools were primitive, and the curriculum limited. 
The now thriving towns and cities were merely hamlets, or had not been 
founded, and the settlers were deprived of many of the comforts and con- 
veniences of the older east; but they were people of resolute thrift an.-' 
with determined purpose well fitted to the work of making homes in the 
wilderness. Calvin McCay bore his part in the task of breaking up 
and developing the wild land, and now in the evening of life is enjoying 
the results of his well directed labors. Washington county, Pennsyl- 
vania, was the place of the nativity of Mr. McCay, his birth occurring 
there November 26, 1830. His father, James McCay, was a native 
of the Keystone state, and was by occupation a farmer. His mother 
was Sarah Stoolfire, also a native of the Keystone state. They were 
the parents of twelve children, all of whom grew to maturity, and ten of 
whom still live : William, Calvin, Charles, Matilda, Susana, Phoebe, 
Catherine, Elizabeth, Mary, Samuel, Joshua, and Thomas. 

Mr. McCay, on account of the large family at home, was early in 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 47 

life bound out to a Air. David McKune and remained with him until he 
reached his majority, engaged in the labors of farm life. During this 
time Mr. McCay was treated as an own child by Mr. and Mrs. McKune. 
"! hey gave him the best education that could be secured in his district. 
At the age of twenty-one he started out for himself with nothing of capi- 
tal but good health, an earnest and determined spirit. He first worked by 
the month for different farmers about the neighborhood and in 1853, 
with his mother and two sisters, came out to Edgar county, Illinois, 
where they remained a short time. They later were joined by his 
brother, Charles, and the family settled in Shelby county, Illinois, where 
they lived for three years. Mr. McCay was married in Macon county, 
Illinois, on the 4th of July. 1858, to Cynthia J. Wells, and after mar- 
riage came to Keokuk county, where he located in German township, 
near where he now resides. Here he purchased a farm of forty acres, 
and has since that time been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits in 
this part of the county. In 1870 he bought his present farm, on which 
he has since lived. Here he has one of the finest rural homes in the 
county, and has the satisfaction of knowing that he made all the im- 
provements himself. Mr. McCay has had a more or less eventful life, 
devoted to activity in different branches in his earlier history. In 1863 
he made a trip across the plains, visiting Salt Lake City, ami later going 
on to Virginia City. This trip consumed about a year and he returned 
by the water route. 

The lady who became the wife of Mr. McCay was born near Dan- 
ville, Illinois, July 19, 1836. She was the daughter of Bazzell E. and 
Katherine (Jones) Wells, father a native of Ohio, and mother of Ken- 
tucky. They became the parents of eleven children, six of whom grew 
to maturity. This lady has borne to Mr. McCay the following family: 



48 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Arnold, David. Alice, Gertrude, Granville, Emma, and Lindlav. All 
the children save Alice were born in Keokuk county, and she was born 
in Macon county, Illinois. In political faith Mr. McCay adheres to the 
principles of the Democracy and has been honored frequently by being- 
chosen to some of the minor offices of the township, having served 
a period as trustee. He is proud to claim that he is a self-made man 
in the highest acceptance of that term, and he is certainly deserving of 
that appellation, for he has secured his competence by his own exertions. 
He and his family are held in the highest repute by an extensive circle 
of friends in Keokuk county. 



AUGUST POLKE. 

August Polke, a prominent farmer and representative citizen of Van 
Buren township, Keokuk count}-. Iowa, was born in Germany, December 
26, 1S23, and is a son of Matthew and Flora (Kornauski) Polke, both 
of whom were natives of Germany, and lived and died in their own 
land. They were the parents of three children, namely: August, Albert 
and Ferdinand, the last of whom is deceased; all were born and reared 
in Germany. 

August came to America on 1857, accompanied by his younger 
brother ; he was then about thirty-four years of age and for ten years 
thereafter worked on farms in the state of Illinois. In 1867 he came 
b 1 Keokuk county, Iowa, and obtained one hundred and fifty acres of raw- 
land, and immediately, with energy and perseverance, started upon its 
clearing and cultivation. This was but the beginning, for now Mr. 
Polke owns four hundred and twenty-four acres of fine land and is one 
of the most substantial men in the township. He has engaged in gen- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 4') 

era] farming and has been particularly successful in the raising of stuck-. 
hogs, sheep and cattle. 

In 1853 Mr. Polke was married in Germany to Henrietta Nickel, 
a native of Germany, who was reared there, and a family of ten children 
has been born to our subject and estimable wife, as follows : Helmont; 
Adeline, deceased; Henrietta deceased; Augusta; Albertine; Rudolph; 
Hannah; Edward; Richard; Rosa Paline. Mr. Polke and family be- 
long to the Lutheran church in Sigourney, to the building of which he- 
was a generous contributor. The family is one which is held in high 
esteem in Van Buren township and our subject is one of the leading 
citizens. 

FRED SCHWENKE. 

Fred Schwenke, who resides on one of the well improved and fertile 
farms in section 6, German township, Keokuk county, Iowa, is one ol 
the leading German-American farmers of this section, who since 185 1 has 
been a resident of the United States. The birth of Mr. Schwenke took 
place in Hanover, German}". April I, 18J7. and be remained in his na- 
tive place until he was twenty-five years of age. Until he was fourteen 
years old he went to school and then began work as an apprentice to the 
tailor's trade; he completed the term of his apprenticeship in three years 
and then worked as a journeyman until he came to America in 1N51. 
His parents died when he as about four years of age and he was reared 
by his father's sister. He landed in this country at the port of New 
Orleans and there for nine months he was employed at his trade. Times 
becoming dull in that locality, our subject decided to make his way to 
Keokuk county, Iowa, tales of the rich farm land in this section having 
reached him. Hence he started up the Mississippi river, reaching Bur- 



50 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

lington, and later came by team to Sigourney. While working through 
the succeeding three years at his trade in Lancaster, he sought out a 
valuable tract of land, entered it from the government and founded his 
home. 

The first marriage of Mr. Schwenke was to Caroline Oldenburg, 
and one son, Henry, still survives from this union. After the death of 
his first wife, our subject married Anna Mary Luers, who was born in 
Hanover, Germany. March 28, 1840. She came to America in 1861 and 
to Keokuk county in the same year. A family of nine children was born 
to this union, as follows : David, still unmarried, who operates the 
farm; Herman D.. who is a druggist in Sigourney; Caroline, who mar- 
ried Ferdinand Buhnemann, lives in German township; Mary C. who 
married Fred L. Strohmann, lives near Delta; Fred G.. who conducts 
a grocery business at Sigourney; Miss Martha M. resides at home; John 
follows the trade of carpenter; Dora M., who married Charles M. Goeld- 
ner, lives on a farm in German township; and George H. W., who is a 
teacher, lives at home. 

Mr. Schwenke is one of the pioneers of Keokuk county, and during 
his fifty years of residence has gained the esteem of all who know him. 
He owns one of the well improved and valuable farms of German town- 
ship, comprising one hundred and twenty-seven acres, and his buildings 
and farm surroundings testify to the excellence of his methods of agri- 
culture, as well as his thrift and good management. In politics he is 
a Republican, and has served very acceptably as school director. His 
religious membership is with the Evangelical church and in its founding 
and progress he has had much to do. His influence has always been in 
the direction of improvement and no worthy enterprise in the township 
finds him indifferent. He has been an important factor in the develop- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 51 

ment of his part of the county and is ranked among its representative 
men. 

FREDERICK MEYER. 

One of the most highly esteemed and prominent old settlers of 
German township, Keokuk county, Iowa, who resides upon a fine, well 
improved farm in section 9, is Frederick Meyer, who came here in 1854. 
1 he birth of Frederick Meyer was on January 3, 1853, m Hanover. 
Germany, and his father. John Meyer, was born in the same place, 
and there married Margaret Alnller. In 1854 John Meyer and family 
came to America and settled in Keokuk county, Iowa, where he bought 
eighty acres of land which was still raw prairie; with great industry 
he cleared this and placed it under cultivation. This first eighty acres 
had been purchased of the government and lie paid one and one-quarter 
dollars an acre for it. His second purchase cost him more, but he kept 
on adding until at one time he owned three hundrd and twenty acres. 
He was a leading member of the Evangelical church and very materially 
assisted in the building of what is the leading house of worship for that 
religious body in this township. His death occurred when he was 
about sixty-eight years of age. His widow still survives, at the age of 
seventy-two years. They reared all of their seven children, six sons 
and one daughter. These are as follows : Frederick, the subject of 
this sketch; William, a resident of Nebraska; Kate, the wife of Charles 
McKue, of Colorado; John, a resident of Nebraska; Louis, a general 
farmer on the old homestead: George, a druggist in Hancock county, 
Iowa; and Henry, also a druggist there. 

Frederick Meyer, of this sketch, was about one and one-half years 



52 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

old when his parents brought him to Geman township. Here he was 
reared and attended school, assisting in the farm work, driving oxen, 
plowing and breaking up the prairie land. After he was twenty-one years 
old he worked for a neighboring farmer for one year, and in June, 1879, 
was married to Miss Alary Cassens, who was born in Hanover, Ger- 
many, on November 13, 1847. She came to America with her parents 
when about five years of age and was reared in German township. 
Her first marriage was to Ernest Fautli, and five children were born 
to this union, namely: Henry, John, Charles, Anna and Matilda. The 
children born to our subject and wife are the following: William, 
Gustaf, Mary, Louisa and Emma. 

In addition to being an extensive farmer. Mr. Meyer is a large 
stock raiser and owns eight hundred acres of land. He has taken a 
prominent part in politics and has held various offices, being township 
trustee for three vears. He is fraternally connected with the order of 
Modern Brotherhood of America and belongs to and liberally con- 
tributes to the support of the Evangelical church. He is one of the re- 
sponsible, substantial and representative citizens of German township. 



HENRY FREDERICK. DUENSING 

Henry Frederick Duensing, a prominent farmer and old settler of 
German township, Keokuk county, Iowa, owning a fine farm in section 
6, was horn in Hanover, Germany, March 14, 1844, and is a son of 
Christian and Dorethe (Voltmer) Duensing, both of whom were nat- 
ives of Germany. Trior to coming to America in 1845 Christian Duen- 
sing was a farmer and oil mill operator in his native land. He landed 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. .53 

in New Orleans, where he spent six months, and then came up the river 
as far as St. Louis, Missouri, but three weeks later came on to Keokuk 
county, Iowa, and settled in German township, in Mav, [846. Here 
he took up one hundred and eighty acres of government land, built a 
log house on it and moved his family there. This log cabin has a his- 
toric interest, as it was the second house erected in German township 
and still stands on the farm which our subject now owns. There 
the family lived until the father later built a second log house, as the 
family was increased by the birth of three more children, consisting 
then of three sons and three daughters. The father died in 187';. in 
his sixty-ninth year. The mother lived until she was seventy-six 
yca>-s of age. Both parents were most worthy, industrious and kind- 
hearted people, who were esteemed by all who knew them; thev were 
pioneers who were of great value to German township. Of their 
children three daughters and one son, our subject, grew to maturity. 

Henry Frederick Duensing was the fourth child and the second 
son born to his parents, and was two years and two months old when 
his father came to Keokuk county, making him one of the old residents. 
His education was obtained in the log schoolhouse with its puncheon 
floor, and the writing lesson was given to the pupils as they rested on 
their knees and made desks out of their slab seats. He also attended a 
German school for a time and thus acquired an excellent knowledge of 
all the necessary branches. He began to assist on the farm as soon 
as he was old enough and has always been interested in agricultural 
matters. 

, On December 27, 1867, Mr. Duensing was united in marriage with 
Adeline Bruns, who was also born in Germany, March 6, 1S5 r , and 
came to America when not quite seventeen years of age and joined 



54 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

her sister in Keokuk county, Iowa. After marriage they settled on 
the old homestead, which is a fine farm of three hundred and forty acres, 
fiud in addition to this he owns another valuable tract, comprising one 
hundred and fifty acres, in Lancaster township. Not only has he been 
a very successful farmer, but he is one of the largest stock raisers in 
the township, making a specialty of sheep and cattle raising. His farms 
are generally acknowledged to be the finest in Keokuk county. During 
his fifty-six years' residence in German township he has seen many 
changes, and can recall the time when there were but three houses in 
Sigourney, which is now a thrifty town of about two thousand popu- 
lation. 

The twelve children born to our subject and wife were as follows: 
Christian, deceased; Anna, the wife of John Seger, of Idaho; Mary, 
the wife of Henry Speiss, of Keokuk county; Henry Ferdinand, married 
Kate Reck, of Keokuk county; Dorethe \Y., the wife of Arthur Goeld- 
ner, of German township; Katherine E., single, at home; as are also 
John C. G., Fred D., Hannah W., Adeline M., Sophia L., and Arthur 
L. Mr. Duensing has been a life-long Democrat and has held many of 
the local offices in the township, being one of its most honest and 
upright citizens. He has long been a member and a very liberal sup- 
porter of the Evangelical church, of which the family also are members. 

JAMES ALLEN RENTFRO. 

James Allen Rentfro, a successful farmer and representative citizen 
of Keokuk county, Iowa, was born in Illinois, near Springfield, on 
January 10, 1834. His parents were John S. and Telitha (Hollenbeck) 
Rentfro, the former of whom was born March 1, 1806, in Kentucky 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 55 

and was taken when young to Illinois by his grandfather, by whom he was 
reared to manhood. John S. grew up a farmer, and with his neigh- 
bors took part in the Black Hawk war. He married Telitha Hollenbeck, 
who was born in Kentucky in 1810, a daughter of Abraham Hollenbeck, 
who moved to Illinois and there reared his children. This family was 
of Dutch descent. In 1849 Mr. Rentfro moved to Keokuk count} - , 
Iowa, and lived in Steady Run township for six years, removing then for 
a short time to Sigourney. and about 1882 located on the farm of two 
hundred acres in Van Buren township, which is now the property of 
our subject. Mr. Rentfro was a hard-working, industrious man and 
made valuable improvements wherever he located. In political sen- 
timent he was a Republican. A family of twelve children was born 
to him and wife, as follows: Mary, Elizabeth, James Allen, William, 
Nancy, Joseph, Rebecca, Margaret, John, Perry, Robert and Martha ; 
Mary, Nancy, Perry and Robert being deceased. 

Our subject was reared until his fifteenth year in Illinois and 
then accompanied his father to Iowa. Here he assisted on the farm 
until the outbreak of the Civil war, when with loyalty he offered his 
services to the government, enlisting in July, 1861, in the Fifth Iowa 
Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Worthington, and serving faith- 
fully for three years. Mr. Rentfro took part in the siege of Vicksburg 
and was wounded at luka, Mississippi, on September 19, 1862, so seri- 
ously that he was kept for four months in a hospital and was then 
transferred to the veteran reserves. He was mustered out at St. Louis, 
Missouri, on July 4, 1864, with a fine record. After his return from 
the army our subject resumed farming and after his father's death 
purchased the old home farm, which he has continued to successfully 
operate ever since. 



56 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The first marriage of Mr. Renfro was to Lovinia McMillian, and 
two children were burn to this union, both of whom died in infancy. His 
second marriage was to Arilla D. Curtis, who was born in November, 
[851, in Ohio, and is a daughter of Benjamin F. and Amanda Curtis, 
both of whom were born in Ohio and became early settlers in Iowa. 
To this marriage a family of eight children has been born, all of whom 
survive except the eldest, John S. The others are: Clarence C, 
Bessie L., Harley A., Charles C, Earl, Clarkson, and Benita A., all 
of whom were born and have been reared and educated in this county. 
The eldest son is a minister in the Advent church, to which religious 
body the family belongs. Our subject is assistant in the Sunday school 
and an honored deacon in the church. In politics he is a Republican 
and takes a somewhat active part in its local organizations. Mr. Rentfro 
is a hero of the Civil war, a hard-working, honest and upright man who 
enjoys, as he deserves, the respect of the community in which he lives. 

LEONARD CLARY. 

Leonard Clary, who during life was a prominent farmer and rep- 
lesentative citizen of Van Buren township, Keokuk county, Iowa, was 
born in Fleming county, Kentucky, July 14, 1827, and died March 21, 
[893. His parents were George and Frances (Seibold) Clary, the 
former of whom was born in Maryland and went to Kentucky when 
be was very young, his parents moving to that state. When he attained 
maturity he was married to Frances Seibold and they reared five chil- 
dren, two boys and three girls; of these our late subject was the oldest, 
two of the family being now deceased. 

When Leonard Clary, of this sketch, was four years of age his 



GENEALOGIC.il. AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 57 

parents moved to Indiana, where they resided for nine years, moving 
then to Keokuk county, Iowa, and settling in Van Buren township. In 
the eastern part of the township Mr. Liar}* entered six hundred and forty 
acres of land, providing a farm for each of his children in this way. 
Each settled on his own land and undertook the clearing of it. In 1858 
Leonard Clary moved to Missouri and there engaged in farming until 
1861. when he came back to Van Buren township and settled on a 
ianr which he operated here for ten years, moving then to Union 
county, but in 1877 located on the farm now occupied by his family, 
consisting of one hundred and sixty acres. 

In December, 1849, Leonard Clary was united in marriage with 
Emily Asberry, who was born March 21, 1833, in Indiana, and is a 
daughter of Benjamin and Mary H. (Porter) Asberry, both of whom 
were natives of the south, the former of Virginia and the latter of 
Kentucky. While still quite a young man, Mr. Asberry settled in Ken- 
tuck}-, where he married, and then moved to Indiana, where he followed 
his trade of blacksmith. In the fall of 1850 he removed to Monroe 
county, Iowa, and engaged there in farming for about twenty-two 
yr.<\'\, going then to Ringgold county, Iowa, where he died at the age 
of ninety-six years. During the Civil war he served during 1863 in 
what was called the Iowa Gray Beards regiment, coming home then on 
account of disability. The mother of Mrs. Clary, Mary H. Porter, be- 
longed to an old Kentucky family of prominence. These parents had 
a family of five boys and two girls, of which family Mrs. Clary was the 
second child. The names are noted as follows : Samuel, deceased ; 
Emily; Joseph, deceased; Thomas; William; Mary Ann, and Benja- 
min; all of whom were born in Indiana, and in that state Mrs. Clary 
was reared and educated. To her marriage with Mr. Clary were 



58 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

born eight children, namely: Henry, \Y. \V., Maylon, Thomas, Mary 
I\, Amos, and Ida M., all born in Keokuk county, and one died in 
infancy. 

During life Mr: Clary was a most respected member of society. 
He took a great interest in all matters concerning his family and town- 
ship and never spared time or expense to advance their interests. In 
politics he was a Democrat and filled the office of assessor with credit to 
himself and the public. He had many warm friends and was known 
for his honesty and integrity. 

MADISON PARK ELDRIDGE. 

In the death of this man, March 16, 1897, the township of Lan- 
caster lost one of its old and influential citizens and a most successful" ag- 
riculturist. Coming here in the early days, and never shirking re- 
sponsibility, he assisted in the molding and development of local in- 
stitutions, and at the same time so conducted his own affairs as to win 
for himself and family a very solid prosperity. 

Mr. Eldridge was born in Cayuga county, New York, August 27, 
1815, and was of a family well known and highly respected in that 
vicinity. His father, Richard Eldridge. was also born in New York, 
and there for the most part made his home. He was a patriotic citi- 
zen, and when the war of 1812 broke out enlisted and served as a 
private. He married Tacy Parker, and after her death he formed a 
second union. By the first marriage there were eight children, of whom 
Madison Park was the second. Mrs. Eldridge was of Welsh descent. 

Madison Park Eldridge remained under the sheltering influence of 
a good home until he was nineteen years old, and in the common 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 59 

schools of his neighborhood procured a thorough rudimentary educa- 
tion. Upon leaving home he went to the growing state of Ohio, where, 
making his home with an uncle, he hired out by the month as a farm 
hand. By attending strictly to his business he made good wages, and 
continued the work for some time. He later traveled extensively though 
the south, and finally coming to Stephenson county, Illinois, settled upon 
a farm, where he remained for some years. Previous experience as a 
farm hand had made him familiar with the different methods of agri- 
culture, and possessing the wisdom to apply the best to his own farm 
management he was enabled to earn more than a comfortable living 
for himself and family. He continued his work here with only one 
interruption until 1864. The break in his regular routine was caused 
by the Civil war. Though past the prime of life when this occurred, he 
did not hesitate to offer his services, and in 1862 enlisted in Company 
If, Xinety-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and went to the front as 
a private. After a year, however, on account of being disabled, he 
was honorably discharged. Soon after returning to his home he dis- 
posed of his Illinois farm and moved to Keokuk county, Iowa, settling 
upon the farm where his wife still resides. Here from year to year he 
made new improvements and cleared new tracts and he continued his 
labors here for thirty- four years. The place now embraces three hun- 
dred and twenty-three acres of good land, largely under cultivation, 
and is one of the most productive farms in the section, being a part of 
the bottom lands. In 1849, while still residing in Stephenson county, 
Illinois, Mr. Eldridge married Sophia Gaylord, who was born in Perrys- 
burgh. Cataraugus county, Xew York. January 24, 1827, and who at 
the age of twelve years moved with her parents to Stephenson county, 
Illinois, where in one of the rude log schoolhouses she procured her 



60 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

education. She is now residing on the splendid farm in Lancaster town- 
ship, which was left her by her husband. To Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge 
have been born the following children: Barber, who died young; 
Lucretia, who married F. D. Hicks, a farmer of Lancaster township, 
and they have two children, Zoe and Ruby ; Lucy married Oliver Glass, 
and they have four children, Lottie, Mamie, Minnie and Max; Dan. 
residing in Arkansas; Jessie, deceased; Minnie, now deceased; Ettie, 
who married J. E. Flanigan, and they have four children, Lola, Ruth, 
Paul and Eugene. 

Mr. Eldridge possessed to a marked degree the sound judgment, 
the physical vitality and the ability to keep before him one clear, stead- 
fast purpose, which go into the make-up of a successful agriculturist. 
Yet while succeeding in business, he never neglected his social and 
public obligations. As a Civil war veteran he was long prominent in 
the Grand Army of the Republic. He was known all over the county, 
and everywhere highly esteemed. 

The Gaylord family to which Mrs. Eldridge belonged was from 
Connecticut. Both her grandfather, Amos Gaylord, and her father, 
Hiram Gaylord, were natives of that state, the latter being born in 
Hartford. The grandfather moved to Illinois with his son and died 
there. 1 he father was reared in Connecticut, but when a young man 
left the state and settled upon a farm in New York, where he engaged 
in agriculture successfully for some years. In 1839 he moved to Illinois 
and settled upon a farm in Stephenson county, where he spent the rest 
of his life, dying there :.t the age of sixty-five. After coming to New 
York Mr. Gaylord married Lucinda Chapin, who was born in Brattle- 
boro, Vermont, and when nine years old came with her parents, Daniel 
and Lucy Chapin. to Oneida county. New York. Her parents were 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 63 

both born in Vermont, but were of Welsh and Irish descent. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Gaylord were born eight children, three sons and five daughters. 
One child died in infancy. Mrs. Eldridge was next to the youngest. 



JOHN AXMEAR, SR. 

It is astonishing to witness the success of young men who have 
emigrated to America without capital and through their own unaided 
efforts have arisen to positions of wealth and prominence. The readiness 
with which they adapt themselves to circumstances and take advantage of 
the opportunities offered brings to them success and wins them a place 
among the leading men of the community in which they reside. To this 
class belongs John Axmear, Sr., a prosperous citizen and retired farmer 
now living in the village of Keswick, Iowa. 

He was born in Amsterdam, Holland, on the 30th of November, 
1822, and was reared and educated in his native land, attending school 
until sixteen years of age and acquiring a good knowledge of the com- 
mon blanches of learning. He then clerked in a store for two years, 
and at the end of that time entered the army, in which he served for 
four years. On leaving the service he resumed clerking and was thus 
employed for five years. In the meantime he was married, the lady of 
his choice being Duty Deline, by whom he had five children, four sons 
and one daughter, namely: John, Emily, Jacob C, William and George 
W. The mother of these children died in i860, and for his second 
wife Mr. Axmear married in 1861 Julia Ann Martin, a native of Bavaria, 
Germany, and by this union he has one daughter, Malissa, wife of T. A. 
Morgan, of Webster, Iowa. 

It was in 1850 that Mr. Axmear emigrated to the new world and 



64 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

took ii]) his residence in Baltimore, Maryland, but after a short time 
spent in that city he removed to Cumberland, the same state. In the 
employ of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad he was later sent to Virginia, 
where he held the position of boss of a gang of seventy-five Irish 
laborers, who were employed in laying the first track at Oakland, Mary- 
land. For thirteen years he remained in the service of that company, 
during which time he had charge of the workmen laying the track from 
Oakland, Maryland, to Wheeling, West Virginia. 

Seeking a home in the west, Mr. Axmear came to Keokuk county, 
Iowa, in 1863. and bought a farm of one hundred and four acres of land 
in Adams township, which he at once began to improve and cultivate. 
Meeting with success as an agriculturist, he has added to his property 
from time to time as his financial resources have increased, until to-day 
he and his sons together own about two thousand acres of valuable land, 
most of which is in Adams township, this county, though three hundred 
and twenty acres are in Minnesota. Mr. Axmear continued his farm- 
ing operations until 1890, when he removed to Keswick and retired 
from active labor. His property in town consists of thirteen acres, it 
being one of the finest places in Keokuk county, as the grounds are laid 
off into a beautiful lawn, which show the skill of an expert landscape 
gardener. Here, surrounded by all the comforts which make life worth 
the living, Mr. Axmear expects to spend his remaining days, enjoying 
a well-earned rest. He deserves to be classed among the purely self- 
made men who owe their advancement entirely to their own well-directed 
efforts. Industry, enterprise and good management have been the 
means whereby he has achieved his success, and his course in life has eve- 
been such as to win for him the confidence and high regard of all with 
whom he has been brought in contact. In his political affiliations Mr. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 65 

Axmear is a stanch Republican, who has ever taken a commendable in- 
terest in the affairs of bis adopted country. 



JOHN AXMEAR, JR. 

This well-known and prominent agriculturist, residing on section 
3, Adams township, has shown in his successful career that he has the 
ability to plan wisely and execute with energy, a combination which, 
when possessed by men in any walk of life, never fails to effect notable 
results, and Mr. Axmear is to-day one of the most prosperous citizens 
of his community. He was born in Cumberland, Maryland, October 3, 
1S50, and is the oldest son of John Axmear, Si\, whose sketch appears 
above. During his boyhood the family made their home in West Vir- 
ginia and in the subscription schools of that state he acquired his primary 
education. He was twelve years of age on the removal to Iowa, and be 
was later a student in the district schools of Adams township, this county, 
and the high school of Sigourney. When out of school he assisted his 
father in the operation of the home farm. 

In 1882 Mr. Axmear was united in marriage to Miss Cordelia 
Wyant, who was born and reared in White Pigeon, this county, and 
they have become the parents of five children who are still living, namely : 
Jennie, Etta, Katie, Clara and John. There was also one child that 
died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Axmear began their domestic life upon 
the farm in Adams township, where they still reside. In connection with 
his farming operations, our subject engaged in teaching school for 
twenty-two terms, two of these being in the village school of South 
English, and the remainder in the district schools of this county. He 
taught his last school in the winter of 1882-^. During his vacations 



06 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and out of school hours he engaged in feeding cattle, chopping wood 
and working at various occupations whereby he might increase his 
income. Since 1882, however, he has given his undivided attention to 
general farming and stock raising and has met with most gratifying 
success in his labors. He is to-day the owner of a very valuable and 
highly productive farm of six hundred and sixty-nine acres, which he 
has placed under a high state of cultivation, transforming it into a model 
farm with the best of improvements. In 1893 he erected an elegant ten- 
room house and the other buildings upon the place are in keqiing there- 
with. In addition to the raising of crops best adapted to the soil and 
climate, he gives considerable attention to the raising of stock, making 
a specially of polled Angus or Aberdeen cattle, having a fine herd of 
about one hundred and twenty-five. Mr. Axmear is also a stockholder. 
director and president of the Farmers' Savings Bank of North English, 
which was organized October 1, 1897, and has a capital stock of ten thou- 
sand dollars. He was one of its organizers, and it owes its success 
largely to his capable management and good business ability. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Axmear is a stanch Republican, and 
he has taken quite an active part in local affairs, serving as assessor of 
Adams township and president and secretary of the school board. Fra- 
ternally he is an honored member of the Masonic lodge at Sigourney. In 
business affairs he is prompt, energetic and notably reliable and generally 
carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. 

J. C. AXMEAR. 

J. C. Axmear, one of the representative citizens and successful 
farmers and stock raisers of Adams township, whose home is on section 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 67 

i. first opened his eyes to the light of day in Preston county, West Vir- 
ginia, September 6. 1854. He is the second son of John Axnioar. Sr.. 
whose sketch appears above. From the age of nine years our subject 
lias made his home in this county, and is indebted to its public school 
system for his early educational privileges. Under the able direction 
of his father he acquired an excellent knowledge of all the duties which 
fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and he continued to assist in the 
operation of the home farm until his marriage. 

That important event in his life occurred December 4, 1S79, Miss 
Rosa Brakel becoming his wife. She is a native of Johnson county, 
Iowa, and was there reared and educated. Seven sons bless this union, 
who in order of birth are as follows: Arthur, who is a graduate of 
the Keswick high school and now has charge of his father's farm in 
Wilkin county. Minnesota; William, who is also a graduate of the Kes- 
wick high school and is now at home; Fred and George, twins; Sidney, 
Bruce and Cecil, all at home. 

Since leaving the parental roof Mr. Axmear has always resided 
upon his present farm on section 1, Adams township, and in its operation 
he has met with excellent success. He has erected thereon a good resi- 
dence, barns and other outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock, 
and to-day he has one of the best improved farms of the locality. It com- 
prises four hundred and thirty-nine acres, and besides this valuable tract 
Mr. Axmear owns a half-section of land in Wilkin county. Minnesota, 
and business property in North English, Iowa. He is also a stockholder 
in the Farmers' Savings Bank of that place and is recognized as one ot 
the leading business men of his community. He is actively interested 
in raising, feeding and shipping stock and at the present writing, in 
1902, has a herd of one hundred and thirty cattle upon his place. This 



68 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

branch of his business has added very materially to his income, and he 
is one of the most substantial men of his community, as well as one of 
its most honored and highly esteemed citizens. The Republican party 
has always found in him a stanch supporter of its principles, and he 
takes a commendable interest in public affairs. 



GEORGE W. AXMEAR. 

The subject of this personal narrative is one of the most successful 
and progressive fanners within the borders of Adams township, where 
almost his entire life has been passed. He is a native of West Virginia, 
however, born on the 17th of April, 1858, and is the youngest son and 
fifth child in the family of John Axmear, Sr., who is represented above 
in this work. George W. Axmear was only four years old when the 
family took up their residence in Keokuk county, and with its develop- 
ment and upbuilding they have since been prominently identified. 

Our subject passed the days of his boyhood and youth upon the old 
homestead in Adams township and is indebted to the district schools of 
the neighborhood for his educational advantages. He labored in field 
and meadow, assisting in the operation of the farm for five years after 
his marriage, which important event in his life was celebrated in 1885 in 
Adams township. The lady of his choice was Miss Rosa Lane, who 
was born in Wisconsin in 1866 and was very young when brought to 
Iowa .by her parents, Hiram and Jane (Bennett) Lane, early settlers of 
Keokuk county, where Mrs. Axmear was reared, remaining under the 
parental roof until her marriage. Her father, who was a farmer by- 
occupation, died in Woodbury county, Iowa, in 1897. Unto our subject 
and his wife have been born six children, one son and five daughters, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



69 



namely: Lulu, Gale, Pearl, L. V., Bertha and Neva, all born and reared 
on the old homestead. 

As previously stated, Mr. Axmear continued to engage in farming 
upon the old home place with his father and brothers for five years after 
his marriage, and in 1890 began farming alone upon four hundred and 
twenty-eight acres of the old homestead, a part of which he cleared, and 
he made a number of improvements thereon. He continued to reside 
upon that place until 1901, when he removed to his present home on a 
separate farm of one hundred and twelve acres of land, it being a rich 
and valuable tract under a high state of cultivation. Here he has built 
a nice home and good barns and other outbuildings, which stand as 
monuments to his thrift and enterprise. In fact, he has made all of the 
improvements on the place, which ranks among the best farms of the 
neighborhood. In connection with general farming he also carries on 
stuck raising with good success. He is a stockholder of the Farmers 
Savings Bank of North English and is one or" the most reliable business 
men of his community. Both Mr. and Mrs. Axmear are members of 
the Methodist Protestant church of Adams township, and since attaining 
his majority he has always affiliated with the Republican party, taking 
quite an active interest in public affairs, as every true American citizen 
should. 



HENRY FOLLMAN. 

Henry Follman, a well-to-do farmer and old settler of Lancaster 
township, in this county, is a born worker and a man of remarkable 
push and energy. Losing his father at an early age in a foreign land, 
became to this country when quite young, and not only took a hand at 



70 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

earning his own living but also assisted in the maintenance of his 
mother and sisters. Deciding to follow farming and shunning no hard- 
ship, he bravely pushed west and in this way came into possession of 
some of the best land our country had to offer. Air. Follman was born 
in Germany, July 7, 1839. and is the son of Frederick and Frances Foll- 
man. both natives of Germany. The elder Mr. Follman was reared and 
educated in Germany, and there married and made his home. To 
him and his wife were born in that country four children — Frederick. 
Henry, Lucilla and Louisa. Mr. Follman died in his native land. 
After the death of the father the family came to this country and 
settled in Illinois, where Mrs. Follman spent her last days. 

Henrv Follman was but twelve years old when he came to this 
country. In spite of his youth, however, he took up the active duties of 
life like a man, hired out at anything he could turn his hand to, and in 
this way purchased a farm, where he with his mother and her other 
children rfsided for many years. As the land was new and mostly un- 
broken, with determination he set to work and assisted in clearing it, 
and made it in time the equal of any in the vicinity. In 1856 he and his 
brother left their mother and sisters in possession of the farm they had 
worked so hard to earn, and in an emigrant train started to the newly 
settled state of Iowa, there to make their own fortunes. After some 
looking about Mr. Follman settled upon a fifty-acre tract in Lancaster 
township, a little west of his present farm, now known as the Barlow 
place. Here he remained eight years clearing and cultivating the land 
and makino- man)- improvements upon it. In 1877 he purchased his 
present farm, a splendid one hundred and seventy-five acre tract, which, 
however, needed considerable clearing and breaking. This work ex- 
perience had enabled him only too well to do, and in time he had one 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 71 

of the best farms in his vicinity. By observation and the exercise of 

good judgment he has acquired the knack of making his place yield large 

and excellent crops, and he is looked upon as a man who thoroughly 

understands his work. 

In 1864 Mr. Follman married Esta Maxwell, who was born in 

Indiana, and who when rather young came with her parents, J. W. 

dfir..e. 

and Mariah Maxwell, to this county, where they afterward resided. Mr. 

and Mrs. Follman have had eight children, all of whom have been born 

and reared in Lancaster township: William II.. Frederick E., John 

A., Lucy. Fulton, Stella, Elsie and Minnie. As one of the highly 

respected old settlers of the township. Mr. Follman has always had his 

say in the management of local affairs. He is exceedingly popular and 

has filled with marked ability several offices in the township. In politics 

he affiliates with the Democrats. 



EUGENE DOGGETT. 

One of the prominent farmers in Keokuk county. Iowa, resides on 
section 2~. Lancaster township, and was born on the farm which he 
now owns and operates on December 8, 1856. He is a son of A. J. 
and Mary (Gilliland) Doggett. who for many years were most highly 
respected residents of this county. Early in the settlement of Keokuk 
county, when no more than nine families had yet dared the certain 
privations of pioneer life in what was then a wilderness, Presley Dog- 
gett came from his Kentucky home and located a small claim on a 
tract adjoining our subject's present farm. Here he built his cabin 
and cleared his fields, rearing a family and offering a welcome to the 
faithful preacher who made his circuit through the woods on his mis- 



J/3 



72 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sion, for Mr. Doggett was one of the founders of the Baptist church 
in this locality. His life did not extend over fifty-seven years. The 
father of our subject, son of this early pioneer, was sixteen years old 
when he came to Keokuk county, and he later located on our subject's 
present farm, where he engaged in extensive stock raising, buying 
and selling the same also, and shipping more than almost any other 
resident of the township at that time. He died at the age of seventy 
years to the clay. In politics a strong Democrat, he was equally stanch 
in his adherence to the tenets of the Baptist church. 

The mother of our subject was born in Indiana and was reared 
there until the age of fifteen years, when she accompanied her parents 
to Keokuk county, Iowa. She is a daughter of James and Susan Gilli- 
landj both of whom were natives of Indiana. Mr. and Mrs. Doggett 
had born to them a family of twelve children, eight daughters and 
four sons, of these, six daughters and our subject alone survive. 

Eugene Doggett received his education in the common schools of 
Lancaster township and grew to manhood, assisting on the farm and 
gradually becoming financially interested in the handling and shipping 
of horses. He now owns a large and productive farm, comprising 
four hundred and sixty acres of well cultivated land, and is justly re- 
garded as one of the leading men of substance in this locality. He 
carries on a general line of farming, does some stock raising and rents a 
portion of his land. 

On January 26, 1889, Mr. Doggett was married to Phronia Myers, 
who was born in Keokuk county, Iowa, and was a daughter of Asa 
and Rachel Myers, a family of early settlers. Mrs. Doggett died May 
9, 1898, leaving a family of three children, namely: Myrtle, Bruce and 
Blanche. The second marriage of our subject was to Mary Jackson, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 73 

who was born in Jackson township, Keokuk county, and to this union 
have been born two sons, Howard and Homer. Mr. Doggett has spent 
his whole life in Lancaster township and is widely known as a man of 
reliability and uprightness. He has been a life-long Democrat, but lie 
has never sought office, his large agricultural interests engaging his 
time and attention. 

LOUIS FOLLMAN. 

Louis Follman, a prominent farmer of Lancaster township, Keokuk 
county, Iowa, was born February 26. 1858, and is a son of Frederick 
and Frances (Lefler) Follman. both of whom were natives of Germany. 
Frederick Follman was but a small boy when his mother brought him 
to America and settled for a short time in Missouri. The mother later 
took him to Illinois, where he grew up, working on various farms, and 
later came to Iowa. He settled on a farm in the western part of 
Lancaster township, only renting the land, as he was a skilled stone- 
mason and soon found plenty of employment in his line. Finding 
conditions favorable, Mr. Follman later bought a small farm of forty 
acres, selling it, however, in 1878. He is now engaged in business 
as a book agent at Martinsburg. He is a Democrat in politics and 
has at various times very efficiently filled a number of the local offices. 
His marriage took place in Illinois to Frances Lefler, who also came 
to America from Germany when quite young, accompanying her parents. 
Four children were born to this union, namely: Louis, our subject; 
Frank J. ; Louisa ; and Adeline, deceased. All of these children were 
born and reared in Lancaster township. 

Our subject, Louis Follman, acquired an excellent common school 



74 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

education and remained with his father until twenty-one years of age. 
He then joined a government survey expedition and went to California, 
where he remained for five years, criming back to the old home in 1884. 
Mr. Follman then engaged in farming on the farm he now owns, com- 
prising eighty acres, about one-half of which he cleared himself and 
on which he has made the excellent improvements. In the spring of 
1884 he was married to Cynthia Childs, who was born in Van Buren 
township in 1864 and was about twelve years old when her parents 
moved to Lancaster township. Her father, Aaron Childs, was born 
April 28, 1826, in the state of New York, where he lived until his 
marriage to Fatima Marsh, who was also born and reared in New York. 
Some time in the forties they came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and here 
Mr. Childs died in December, 1896. A family of six children was 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Childs. namely: Florence, Alvin M. and Florence 
C, deceased; O. W. ; Cynthia; and Myrtle F. The three survivors were 
born in this county. The children born to our subject and wife are 
the following : Patti, Fatima, Floy, Ruth and Jean, all of whom were 
born on the old homestead. 

Mr. Follman now owns a fine farm of one hundred and twenty 
acres, which is productive and very valuable. In politics he is a Dem- 
ocrat and has very efficiently served the township in many positions, and 
is now its capable clerk. He has been connected with the order of 
Odd Fellows in Sigourney for many years and is a liberal contributor 
to the support of the Methodist church, of which his family are members. 

EDWARD SCHILTZ. 
There is probably no more enterprising citizen in the township of 
Lancaster than this prominent young agriculturist residing on his care- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 75 

fully cultivated and attractive farm in section 29. Besides managing 
his own affairs with the wisdom and science that would do credit to a 
man of twice his years, he takes a leading hand in all public doings 
and is one of the most prominent lodge men in the vicinity. His high 
intellectual endowments and energy and push, which have thus brought 
him to the front, he has undoubtedly inherited from his good German 
ancestors. 

His grandfather, John Schiltz, possessed to a remarkable degree 
these same traits, added to a dauntless courage, which made him bold to 
undertake what to other men would seem the impossible. He was born 
in Prussia, Germany, in 182 1. Desiring when a youth of nineteen to 
seek his fortune in America, though possessed of scarcely money 
enough to pay his passage, he bravely ventured forth and upon landing 
in New York had but twenty-five cents in his pocket. Undismayed, 
however, he wisely set to work and soon found what was equivalent to 
money to him, a good position in a flouring mill, whose owners, two 
brothers, also possessed a large elevator. Here he remained for a con- 
siderable time, acquiring a knowledge of milling of great value to him 
in later years. After a few years, however, he left New York and 
went west, locating at Peru, Illinois. Here he purchased a mill and 
engaged in business for himself for awhile. Though successful, he 
finally sold out and came to the new territory of Iowa, settling first in 
the vicinity of Solon. Purchasing a water-power mill near by, he 
conducted an extensive manufacturing industry for a short time, which 
proved highly profitable. Seeing, however, a better opening for his 
business at Riverside, he soon disposed of his Solon property and 
moved there, purchasing at the same time another large mill. This 
he managed with more than his usual good fortune, and kept it in 



76 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

operation for many years. Later, in 1857, while residing in this same 
place, in company with a Mr. Steavenson, he built what has been widely 
known as the Black Hawk Mill, on North Skunk stream, in Clear Creek 
township, Keokuk county. The mill is a large one, was then run by 
water power, and proved as a business venture the crowning success 
of his life. He continued to run it to the time of his death, which oc- 
curred in 1869. While residing in Peru, Illinois, Mr. Schiltz married 
Josephine Wendling, who was born in Germany. She died at River- 
side, in 1857, and some years later, after moving to Keokuk county, 
Mr. Schiltz married Anna M. Baker, who was also born in Germany. 
She survived her husband many years. By the first marriage there was 
one child — Frank, who is mentioned below. By the second marriage 
there were five children. Mr. Schiltz's eminently successful career 
commended him to the confidence and respect of all who knew him, and 
his influence was felt far and near in any community in which he 
happened to reside. To his children he left not only a large inherit- 
ance of brains, but also considerable property as a stepping stone to suc- 
cess in life. 

Frank Schiltz, the well known proprietor of the Sigourney Rolling 
Mills, even surpasses his father as an efficient business man, has also 
been eminently successful as an agriculturist, and now owns two large 
farms in Keokuk county. He was born in Riverside, Johnson county, 
Iowa, May 31, 1855, being but two years old when the family came 
to Keokuk county, where he has resided most of his life. In his youth, 
however, he spent considerable time with his maternal grandparents, 
who were residents of Iowa City, and there in the public schools 
received a good practical education. While in that city he also worked 
for some time in a mill as a preparation for the business he intended 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 77 

to pursue in life. Having some means with which to start in life, in 
1N74 lie purchased one-third interest in the Black Hawk Mill, in which 
his father had taken a hand in building, and he remained with the firm 
for about three years, earning for himself a large income. After sell- 
ing out he purchased a farm in Lafayette township, which he carried on 
for five years, meeting with the most gratifying results. Having 
by this time, March, 1886, saved considerable money, he purchased a 
two-third interest in the Black Hawk Mill, and here again carried on a 
flourishing business for five years, that is, until 1891. Then selling 
out his interest, he once more turned to agriculture, this time in Lan- 
caster township, where he purchased another large farm. Applying both 
science and practical experience to his efforts, he caused his place to 
yield large and valuable crops, and gained the reputation of being one 
of the most successful agriculturists in the vicinity. In November, 
1897, he came to Sigourney and purchased the Rolling Mills, of which 
he has since been the proprietor. He has conducted here a large and 
increasing business, giving employment to many men, and deriving 
for himself good profits. He has done well in all his business ventures, 
and is now a large property owner, possessing among other real estate 
the two farms already referred to. 

In 1875 Mr. Schiltz married Elizabeth Stein, born in Keokuk 
county, of German descent, and they had seven children. Mr. Schiltz 
has always been an influential man in the community in which he hap- 
pened to reside, and his large business interests have greatly benefited 
the county. He is an influential member of the Catholic school. 

Edward Schiltz, son of Frank, was born in Black Hawk Mills, in 
Clear Creek township, September 9, 1876, and was the oldest of his 
parents' seven children. In the district schools of his neighborhood 



78 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he received his early education, and later attended the Bloomfield Nor- 
mal School for a while and the Normal Institute of Keokuk county, 
where he prepared himself for teaching. After leaving school he 
taught for two terms in Keokuk county, giving excellent satisfaction. 
Deciding, however, to turn his attention to agriculture, in 1899 he rented 
the old Reynolds farm in section 29, Lancaster township, where he still 
resides. This place is a large one hundred and thirty-five acre tract, 
is well improved and here he carries on general farming and engages 
in some stock raising. An excellent manager and possessed of a large 
capacity for work, he is meeting with splendid results, and is looked 
upon as one of the most progressive ami yet practical agriculturists in 
his county. Mr. Schiltz has recently purchased the old Mintur farm. 
consisting of sixty acres and situated a mile and a half southeast of 
Sigourney, on which he intends to make his future home. 

In 1898 Mr. Schlitz married Alice Utterback who was born in 
Lancaster township, daughter of Corbin and Jane (Lippard) Utterback; 
she received her education in the common schools of the neighborhood. 
Though quite young, Mr. Schiltz's remarkable capacity for leadership 
has commended him to the confidence of the people, and he is exceedingly 
prominent in the public affairs of his community. As a stanch Re- 
publican he is now serving as chairman of the central committee of the 
township, and has in other ways made his influence felt. He is one 
of the most prominent members of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, has completed every degree, and filled all the chairs of the order. 
A man of brilliant social attainments, he is well known throughout the 
county, and lias many warm friends. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 79 

NANCY MARTIN HART. 

Nancy Martin Hart, now residing on her large and attractive farm 
in section 28, Lancaster township, is one of the old settlers of Keokuk 
county, having lived here since • February, 1854, with the exception of 
seven years spent in Clarke county, Iowa. She was born in Holmes 
county, Ohio, July 7, 1833, and is the daughter of Joseph and Rebecca 
v Knox) Martin. Her grandfather, Edward Martin, of German de- 
scent, was also a resident of Holmes county, Ohio, for many years, hav- 
ing moved there from Virginia in the early days and settled upon a farm 
on Martin's creek, a stream namd in honor of his family. Here he 
engaged very extensively in agriculture, and also conducted for many 
years a large sawmill. Being an excellent farmer and a judicious busi- 
ness man he became possessed in time of considerable wealth. 

Joseph Martin, born in Virginia, was only a mere child when the 
parents moved to Ohio, and there in the common schools of Holmes 
county secured his education. By assisting his father upon the farm in 
the early days he became well trained to agriculture, and upon reaching 
manhood followed it as a regular occupation. It was in this same place 
where he was reared and educated that he married Rebecca Knox, who 
was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and came to Holmes 
county, Ohio, when a child, with her father, David Knox, one of the 
pioneer farmers and saw-mill operators of the county. She died at the 
age of fifty-one. By this marriage there were eight children, Anna, 
Eliza and Mary Jane, now deceased ; Edwin M., a resident of Shelby 
county, Iowa; Nancy M., who is mentioned below; Catherine and 
Louisa, now deceased; and Joseph L._, who became a soldier in the 
Civil war and died during the service. In 1843 Mr. Martin, deciding 



80 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to seek his fortune with the pioneers of the rich lands of Iowa, came 
to that state and settled upon a farm in Van Buren county. Here he 
remained for eleven years, clearing and breaking the land, and making 
other improvements, so that the place became in the course of his stay 
there one of the valuable pieces of property in the county. In 1854 he 
moved to another farm in Lancaster township, Keokuk county, which 
he managed with his usual success, and where he remained for the 
rest of his life, dying there at the advanced age of eighty-nine. He 
was a man of influence in the community, especially in religious circles. 
He belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church, took an active part in 
all the efforts of that denomination, and often officiated as pastor. In 
politics he was at first a Whig, and later a stanch Republican. 

Nancy Martin Hart passed that character-developing period of 
youth, that is the years between the ages of ten and twenty, in the wild 
pioneer settlement of Van Buren county. Here in the rather prim- 
itive schools of the new community she secured her education, which, 
while limited, afforded training in the essential virtues of self-reliance 
and industry, without which no character is complete. When her 
parents moved to the Lancaster farm in Keokuk county, she came with 
them, and there a year later, in July, married Samuel Hart, who was 
born in Muskingum county, Ohio, May 15, 1S30, and when a small boy 
came with his parents to Morrow county, Ohio, where he was reared, 
and in the common schools received his education. About 1852 he 
came to Iowa, and locating in Muscatine county, remained there for some 
time. After their marriage he and Mrs. Hart settled upon a farm in 
Clarke county, Iowa, where they remained until 1862, when he left home 
and family at the urgent demands of his country for soldiers, and en- 
listing in Company F, Sixth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, went to the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 81 

front as a private. After participating in many a hard fight, May 13, 
1864, in the battle of Resaca, he received a mortal wound and died a 
few clays later. May 24. He was buried in the hospital cemetery at 
Resaca. Mr. and Mrs. Hart had three children: Clark and Mary A. 
died in infancy. Emma L. married Kline Keaster and they have had 
live children, four of whom are now living: Joseph B., who is attend- 
ing Iowa City Medical College; Leonard, who carries on the home- 
stead for his grandmother. Mrs. Hart: Ella R. ; Sidney H. ; Carl J. died 
in infancy. Some time after the death of her husband Mrs. Hart 
moved to her farm in Lancaster township, where she now resides. Her 
grandson, who carries on the place, is making a great success of his 
farming, and Mrs. Hart receives a very comfortable income. She is 
an excellent business woman and is esteemed as such throughout the 
community. She is well known all over the county. Prominent in 
religious circles, she is an active worker in the Methodist Episcopal 
church at Lancaster, of which she is a highly respected member. 



JAMES M. SWEARINGEN. 

Tames M. Sweariugen. a wealthy agriculturist and extensive stock 
raiser, now residing at his splendid farm in section 34, Lancaster town- 
ship, possesses those strong traits of character which would have 
brought him to the front in any occupation he might have chosen in life. 
Endowed with foresight, good judgment, self-assertive powers, he might 
have made a magnificent business man. Or his remarkable executive 
ability and his large capacity for leadership might have given him 
prestige in the political field. Content, however, to follow the occupation 



82 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to which he was reared, he has here put his forces to good service, and 
has had some to spare for the discharge of public duties. 

Mr. Swearingen comes of a family of agriculturists. His great- 
grandfather, Charles Swearingen, followed that occupation for the most 
part of his life, first in Ohio, and later in Montgomery county, Indiana; 
he was a German by descent. John Swearingen, grandfather of James 
-M., was also a farmer. Born in Ohio, he was reared there, and upon 
reaching manhood followed agriculture for some years. Later he 
moved with his family to Indiana, where he spent his last days, dying 
there. 

William A. Swearingen, father of James M., likewise took a hand 
in the development of the agricultural resources of the middle west. 
Born in Butler county, Ohio, he was but eight years old when his parents 
moved to the growing state of Indiana. Here in Montgomery county 
he received his rearing and his education, which was that of the ordinary 
farmer's boy of his time and place. As a young man he spent some 
years upon an Indiana farm, where, conducting a flourishing industry, 
he made in time considerable money. Impressed with the vast re- 
sources of the further west, in 1868 he moved to Keokuk county, Iowa, 
and there settled upon the farm where James M. now resides. The place 
entirely fulfilled his highest anticipations, and here he remained and 
worked for some time. He spent his last days with a son in Hedrick, 
dying there in his seventy-ninth year. Mr. Swearingen married Mar- 
garet E. Hall, who was born in Newberry, South Carolina, and when 
nine years old moved with her father, Thomas Hall, to Indiana. Mr. 
Hall, a man of Irish descent, was a farmer by occupation. He had two 
brothers who served seven years in the Revolutionary war under General , 
George Washington. Mrs. Swearingen's mother was a native of Ire- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 83 

land and died in South Carolina before she and her father moved to 
Indiana. Mrs. Swearingen was a wise and faithful helpmate for many 
years. She died in her sixty-third year. To her and her husband were 
born nine children, seven of whom are now living. Of these James M. 
is the oldest. M. Swearingen was a man of pronounced political views; 
in the early days he was a Whig, but later affiliated with the Democrats. 
James M. Swearingen was born in Montgomery county. Indiana. 
and there grew to manhood. In the common schools of his neighbor- 
hood, which he attended for a few months each year, he received a good 
fundamental education, which he has in later years supplemented by ex- 
tensive reading and the practical work of life. In 1868 he moved to 
Keokuk county with his parents, and there taking up the manly duties 
of life, he assisted his father in purchasing the farm, which has since 
come into his possession; in fact, with the exception of nine hundred 
dollars contributed by his father, he paid for the property himself. For 
two years after coming to Iowa he clerked in- a drug store in Ollie, ac- 
quiring a practical knowledge of business and an aptness for the work 
which would certainly have proved a stepping stone to something higher 
in that line had he chosen to continue the work. The large homestead, 
however, requiring his attention, he decided to give his undivided efforts 
to it, and returning home he has since remained there. Here he car- 
ries on general farming, and also engages in stock raising, being suc- 
cessful in both lines. He has made man}- improvements upon the place, 
clearing and breaking new lands. The property now embraces one 
hundred and thirty-two acres of some of the most productive land in the 
vicinity. Mr. Swearingen has made his land pay well, and as fast as 
he has earned money he has made investments in local industries. He 
now owns a large amount of stock in the Ollie Savings Bank. 



84 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

November 29, 1900, Mr. Swearingen married Lillia Wilkins, of 
Chicago, who was born in Ohio, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Brant) 
Wilkins, who were both born in Ohio and are still living there at Leb- 
anon ; he follows farming and the trade of a carpenter. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Wilkins have been born eight children, one son and seven daugh- 
ters, Mrs. Swearingen being the oldest of the daughters. Coming to 
Iowa some years ago she remained in Fairfield for a while, but later 
went to Chicago, where she resided for thirteen years, until her marriage. 

Mr. Swearingen is one of the most active men in public affairs in 
his township, and as a man of marked ability has served as constable for 
fifteen years, and as secretary of the school board, of which he is still 
a member, for ten years. He stands high with the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows, of Ioka Lodge No. 173, having filled all the chairs of the 
order. As a member of the Mission Baptist church he is also influential. 
He is well known all over the county, where he has many warm friends. 
When the rural delivery route was established some time ago his energy 
and popularity helped him to secure it and he has since had it in charge. 

FINLEY M. SMOCK. 

From the time of the establishment of the town of Keota, Mr. 
Smock has been deeply interested in its welfare and active in its ad- 
vancement and promotion. Therefore no history of the place would 
be complete without mention of his life. He was born in Johnson 
county, Indiana, February 18, 1844. The ancestry can be traced back- 
through four generations to Holland. His father, Rev. David V. 
Smock, was born near Madison, Indiana, and for many years was an 
active minister of the Presbyterian church. In 1853 he came to Iowa, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 87 

settling in Birmingham, Van Buren county. He afterward located in 
Sigourney, and became the first pastor of the Presbyterian church of 
that place in 1858. During the war he removed to the vicinity of 
Keota, in which town he died. His life span covered three-score years 
and ten, and surely the world is better for his having lived. He was 
a man of marked influence and his efforts for the elevation of his fellow 
men were of no restricted order. He married Margaret A. Brown, 
a native of Virginia, in which state she was also reared. She was of 
French and Scotch lineage, and died when forty-four years of age. In 
their family were four children, of whom Mr. Smock of this review 
was the third in order of birth. 

When nine years of age F. M. Smock accompanied his parents 
on their removal to Iowa, and at the age of fourteen he came to Keokuk 
county. He attended the public schools, acquiring a good education, 
and at the age of fourteen began learning the wagon-maker's trade. 
He was seventeen years of age when, in 1861, in response to his coun- 
try's call for troops, he joined the army, enlisting as a member of 
Company F, Fifth Iowa Infantry. This was the first company raised 
in Keokuk county and he served for four years and one month, having 
in the meantime re-enlisted as a veteran of the same company and 
regiment. He was afterward transferred to Company G of the 
Fifth Iowa Cavalry and took part in many of the principal battles 
of the war. He was with Fremont's command in Missouri and par- 
ticipated in the engagement at Madrid. He was also in the siege of 
Corinth, the battle of Iuka, the second battle of Corinth, the siege of 
Vicksburg, and took part in the engagements at Champion Hills, Mis- 
sionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign, Franklin, the siege of Nashville, 
and was at the front all the way with Wilson's cavalry in the raid 



88 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

made in the spring of 1865. Other engagements of lesser import- 
ance were participated in by Mr. Smock. He was wounded at Cham- 
pion Hills through both legs by a minie ball, and was in the hospital 
for most of the time for eight months. As soon as he had sufficiently 
recovered, however, he rejoined his command in active field service and 
was a brave and loyal soldier, his valor equaling that of many a man of 
twice his years. He received an honorable discharge in August, 1865, 
and with a most creditable military record he returned to his home in ' 
Keokuk county, Iowa. 

From 1866 until 1871 Mr. Smock was engaged in business in 
Sigourney and then came to what is now Keota, locating upon a farm 
known as Sunnyside. It was on a part of this farm which was owned 
by his brother that the town of Keota was built. There was no idea 
of this at the time and the foundation of the present thriving village 
had not then been laid. However, it was established in 1872, and Mr. 
Smock engaged in the manufacture of wagons and buggies, carrying 
on business with a fair degree of success here for about twelve years. 
He then turned his attention to the farm implement business, which 
he conducted for three years, and he spent the years of 1880 and 1881 
in western Kansas and Colorado. On returning to Keota he served as 
deputy postmaster under J. F. Wilson for about four years and 
through the succeeding four years he was engaged in the insurance busi- 
ness. He was then appointed postmaster, acting in that capacity for 
four years, and on the expiration of that period he resumed his opera- 
tions in insurance and real estate. In 1894 he was elected a clerk of 
the district court for a term of four years, upon the Republican ticket, 
and at the close of that time he retired from office as he had entered 
it — with the confidence and good will of all concerned. He then re- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 89 

turned to Keota and was again engaged in the real estate business for 
two years. In 1900 he formed a business connection as secretary with 
the firm of Singmaster & Sons, importers of fine horses, and this rela- 
tion has since been maintained. 

In 1867 Mr. Smock was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Stran- 
ahan. and they have six children : Gertie A., the wife of John C. 
Richardson, one of the editors of the Keota Eagle; Winnie M., the 
wife of S. A. Dougherty, of Muscatine, Iowa ; A. Cleave, who mar- 
ried Nellie Randolph, daughter of John Randolph, and is now living 
in O'Brien county, Iowa; Mattie B., at home; William S., who is clerk- 
ing in a store at Keota ; and Bessie L., who is also at home. 

In his political affiliations Mr. Smock has always been a staunch 
Republican and has been honored with various official positions. He 
served as mayor of Keota for a number of terms, was also justice of 
the peace and has filled other local positions. He was one of the 
incorporators of the town and has been deeply interested in everything 
pertaining to its progress and improvement. He belongs to Ed Can-is 
Post No. 333, Grand Army of the Republic, in which he has filled all 
of the offices. He has also served on the staff of Commander Bailey, 
of the Iowa department, and has represented his state at the national 
encampment of the order at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1899. He 
takes a very active and helpful interest in the work of the Grand Army 
of the Republic and is widely known among the honored veterans of the 
Civil war. He also has a wide acquaintance in Keokuk county, where 
he is known as an enterprising and progressive citizen, and in Keota 
the circle of his friends is very extensive. 



90 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

CRISLEY TERRELL. 

Crisley Terrell, a prosperous agriculturist of Lancaster township, 
also engaged in the deep well business, possesses those sterling traits of 
character, a large capacity for work, sound judgment, and a willing- 
ness to make the most of what life offers him, which in themselves 
insures success to a man at every step in life. Like many of the 
farmers of the vicinity, he came here in the early days, and has taken a 
keen interest in the growth of the community and all the civilizing in- 
fluences brought to bear upon it. 

Mr. Terrell comes of good stock and is the son of Robert R. Terrell, 
who was born in Virginia, and who, in the early days, about 1810, set- 
tled in Ohio. Here as a bricklayer he carried on a lucrative business for 
many years. Later he engaged in building, and many residences of 
Cincinnati were the results of his industry and supervision. Mr. Ter- 
rell was married to Barbara Miller, who was born in Ohio, and they 
became the parents of five children, three sons and two daughters, all of 
whom grew to maturity, and of whom Crisley was the youngest. .Mr. 
Terrell died in 1846, and his wife's death occurred in Indiana many 
years later. 

Crisley Terrell was born in Fayette county, Ohio, April 28, 1846, 
and at the early age of five months, by the death of his father, was de- 
prived of that parent's fostering care. He remained at home with his 
mother, however, until he was twenty-one years old, .and received a good 
common school education, and was disciplined to habits of industry 
and attention, which had not a little to do with his future success in 
life. With little, if anything, but his own hands to depend upon, he 
came to Keokuk county in 1868 and hired out as a farm laborer. At- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 91 

tending strictl_y to business, he found no difficulty in holding positions, 
and continued this line of work for two years, receiving his wages by 
the month. Ambitious for something better, at the end of this period 
he rented a farm and settled down to work for himself. In 1869 he 
married Lucretia Reed, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, and 
in 1855, when nine years old, came with her parents, Park and Lorana 
Reed, to Keokuk county, where the family afterward resided. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Terrell have been born nine children, five of whom have been 
married, as follows: Park, in business with his father, and a resident 
of Sigourney, married to Elva Fair; Mattie, married to Charles W. 
Arganbright, and they reside in the city of What Cheer; Gusta, a resi- 
dent of Primghar, Iowa, married to C. W. Martin; Annis, married to 
C. L. Beall, a farmer of Lancaster township ; Mary has taught school 
since she was seventeen years old without missing one term, and re- 
cently married Dr. Floyd G. Bott, of Iowa City. The other children 
are: Lottie; Edna Fern, who is now deceased; Georgia; and Avery, who 
is in business with his father. 

Mr. Terrell met with most excellent results as a farm tenant and 
continued on the rented place until 1899. Then, having saved con- 
siderable money, he invested in his present farm, a splendid eighty-acre 
tract of well improved land in Lancaster township. This place, which 
he has come into possession of by his own thrift and industry, is one 
of the most productive in the vicinity, and here he is still carrying on a 
flourishing" industry. Besides attending to his farming he has for some 
time been engaged in the deep well business. The industry has proved 
a profitable one and he has taken in as partners his sons, Park and 
Avery. The firm, known as Terrell & Sons, has an excellent reputation 
throughout the county, where it is doing a large business. Mr. Ter- 



92 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

rell has for thirty-four years been a resident of the county, and during 
that time has always evinced a keen interest in public affairs. He is es- 
pecially interested in the establishment of good schools, and the further- 
ing of higher education. He is liberal in local politics, but in national 
affairs always votes the Democratic ticket. Fraternally he affiliates 
with the Free and Accepted Masons and the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. 

JOHN HOLLIN McCORMICK. 

Coining from stanch old Scottish ancestry, than which there is 
none more true, manly and capable, John Hollin McCormick in the 
early days of the settlement of Iowa came to join the adventurous ones 
who were seeking homes in the untrammeled west. He was born on 
the 22d day of February, 1838, in Portage county, Ohio. His father, 
James McCormick, was a native of Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, 
and lived there from the time of his birth on February 11, 1796, until 
the year 1837, when he removed to Portage county, Ohio, where the 
subject of this narrative was born. In 1853 he changed his place of 
residence, again moving to Keokuk, Iowa, where he died on April 30, 
1869. His political persuasion was that of a Whig, and he rendered 
valuable services to that party, holding local offices at various times. He 
was also an active member of the Presbyterian church. His paternal 
grandfather, John McCormick, was born in Scotland and came to Amer- 
ica before the Revolution, locating in Pennsylvania. 

His mother, Sarah Barber, was born in Pennsylvania on July 25. 
1 81 2, and there passed her childhood days. After her marriage to 
James McCormick they removed first to Ohio and later to Keokuk, 
Iowa, where she died on April 14, 1894. Her father was a native of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 93 

Ireland. She was second wife of James McCormick, whose first wife 
was a Miss Hall. Ten children were born of the first marriage, of 
whom nine grew to maturity; of the second union eleven children were 
born, of whom nine reached the age of adults, and of both families ten 
are now living. 

John Hollin McCormick was the third child and eldest son of the 
second marriage. He was reared in Summit county, Ohio. In 1857 
he went to Van Buren county, Iowa, and eventually settled in 1859 m 
Lancaster township, Keokuk county. At the age of fifteen years he 
began working at the blacksmith trade, which he continued in Summit 
county, Ohio, for some three years, when he removed to Iowa and re- 
sided for a period of one year, and again removing to Ohio, spent one 
year in that state, from whence he ultimately came to Lancaster town- 
ship, where he formed a partnership in the blacksmithing business. In 
the fall of 1861 he removed to Sigourney and was there till 1866, when 
he located on the farm where he now resides, since which time he has 
been engaged both in the business of farming and blacksmithing. 

On April 17, 1861, he was married to Hulda Stone, who had re- 
moved to Iowa from the Hoosier state, where she was born on October 
21, 1833. Her father, Martin Stone, was born in Genesee county, New 
York, but came to Indiana when he was about eighteen years old. He 
was twice married, his second wife being Mary G. Lindsay. Charles 
L. Stone, her half-brother, lives at Brighton, Washington county, Iowa. 
One other child of this second marriage died in infancy. The mother 
of Mrs. McCormick, Caroline Cole, was born in Bennington county, 
Vermont, but came to Indiana at the same time that her husband made 
the trip. Mrs. McCormick was the fifth child of a family of six 
daughters and four sons, and came to Keokuk county with her parents 



Q4 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in 1854, locating in Lancaster township, where she pursued her edu- 
cation in the common schools and afterward taught in the schools of 
Keokuk county. Four children were born to them, Donald, who died 
in infancy; Fred A., who is now living at home with them; Cor;; V., 
wife of Harry Harlan, of What Cheer, Iowa; Lottie A., wife of How- 
ard Richardson, of Ottumwa, Iowa, who is a telegraph operator at that 
place. 

Mr. McCormick has a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on 
which his home is situated, and sixty-eight acres east of his home place, 
and has long been in the business of general farming and stock raising-, 
making a specialty of fine blooded trotting horses, many of which have 
made splendid track records. Among these are Rinaldo, record 
2:11 1-2; J. H. McCormick, record 2:21;; and Major Lacy, record 2:29. 
Of late years he has made a specialty of raising short-horn cattle, in 
which he has been exceedingly successful. 

In his somewhat varied career Mr. McCormick has encountered 
mam- difficulties, none of which, however, were sufficient to daunt him. 
He has steadily overcome all obstacles and has himself alone to credit 
for his many successes, since he has accomplished all unaided. He 
has long been one of the enterprising and leading citizens of the 
county, is a Republican in principle and action, a member of the order 
of Masons at Sigourney, where he holds high rank in the esteem and 
respect of his brothers, and generally has been pronounced one of the 
ablest and most successful men of his day. 

JAMES LINDER. 
James Linder has lived for fifty-five years in Keokuk county and is 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 95 

one of the very well known and honored citizens who have placed then- 
impress on the development of the country. His father, Robert Linder, 
was a native of Kentucky, but early came to Keokuk county, at a time 
when there were only six families in the county. In 1850 he went to 
California and died at the age of seventy-six in Montana; by occupation 
he was a harness maker, carrying on this trade in Sigourney; he also 
owned a farm. Our subject's mother was Sarah Barnett, a native of 
Illinois, and she still resides in Sigourney at the age of eighty-two. 
They were the parents of six children, four daughters and two sons; 
only two yet survive, James and Robert, the latter residing in Nebraska. 

James Linder is the fifth child and oldest son, born in Sigourney 
January 17, 1846. There he was reared and educated in the public 
schools; in 1872 he located on a farm east of Lancaster, in Lancaster 
township, and engaged in farming for twenty-six years. In 1898 he 
sold this farm and bought the farm of one hundred and thirty-six acres 
on section 8, Lancaster township, where he now resides, surrounded by 
all the comforts of country life. 

In 1870 Mr. Linder became the husband of Cordelia Strong, a 
native of Sullivan county, Missouri, who came to Keokuk county with 
her parents when only two years old and was there educated. Mr. and 
Mrs. Linder became the parents of seven children; the eldest died in 
infancy; Edward married in Missouri and is now living in Lancaster 
township; Ted is now in Seattle, Washington; Fred; Zelpha ; Izette 
and Berton. Mr. Linder has always held an independent position in 
politics. In his long life in this county he has ably performed all the 
duties devolving upon him as a citizen and no stain may be found on his 
reputation. 



96 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

JACOB CONNER. 

Another enterprising son of Daniel Conner, the pioneer whose life- 
work and achievements are recounted elsewhere in this work, was Jacob 
Conner, a brother of Samuel Conner, whose biography also appears 
herein. Jacob Conner was born on March 25, 1857, in Lancaster town- 
ship, Keokuk county, and has ever since made his home in this fruitful 
section of the Hawkeye state. His father twice married, his second 
wife being the mother of the subject of this record. Her name was 
Elizabeth Wyant and she was born in the Blue Grass state, moving, 
however, when of tender years to Indiana. She was twice married, 
her first husband being a Mr. Pennington. By her first marriage she 
had three children, and six more were added to the flock in her union 
with Daniel Conner. Of these five are now living, Jacob Conner being 
the first born, and receiving an excellent education in the schools of Lan- 
caster township. 

He worked for his father until he reached the age of twenty-seven 
years, when he married Zanette Bucher, the daughter of Aaron and 
Martha (Chastain) Bucher, a history of whom is also given in this 
volume. Mrs. Conner was also born in Lancaster township, Keokuk 
county, Iowa, on the 1,6th day of June, 1865, and has spent all of her 
life there. She received a very fine education in the common schools of 
the township, and from independent reading and study of her own selec- 
tion. 

After living on the old homestead about one year after his mar- 
riage, Mr. Conner and his wife located where they now live, and by his 
industry and good management improved and built up his farm until 
in its appearance, efficiency and value it ranks with the best in the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 07 

township. In the year 1900 he built the handsome residence now 
there and put into it all the modern impovements and many conveniences 
dictated by the taste of himself and his wife. He has also built a finely 
appointed barn thirty-six by sixty feet in dimensions and has con- 
structed manv other good buildings upon the farm, which consists of 
one hundred and sixty acres as well as some timber land. 

One child, a daughter, was born to them, whom they named 
Mattie Elizabeth; she is still unmarried and at home, and is a very 
accomplished and attractive young lady. In their beautiful home Mr. 
Conner and his family keep abreast of the times and fully informed 
upon all matters. They are liberal in their views upon political and 
religious questions and present good examples of the progressive, pros- 
perous and leading people of the county. Mr. Conner is in politics a 
Democrat; is widely known throughout his section of the state, actively 
participating in matters of public interest. He has been a member of 
the school board for several years, during which time he has contributed 
much to the success of the educational methods employed, and has as- 
sumed many other responsibilities in behalf of the county. 



WILLIAM R. KELLEY. 

William R. Kelley, a prominent agriculturist of Lancaster township, 
stands as a tvpe of man who has achieved success by constant and un- 
flinching adherence to one line of business in life. Reared to farm 
work, he has for the most part followed this occupation. Only once 
has he swerved from his pupose, and then it was for the laudable cause 
of serving his country in its struggle for the preservation of the Union. 



98 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

As a soldier he did his duty nobly, and as a citizen he has made the 
best of the opportunities that life has offered him. 

Mr. Kelley comes of a family of agriculturists. His grandfather, 
William Kelley. was for many years a prominent Pennsylvania farmer. 
He was born and reared in that state, and upon reaching manhood there 
married Elizabeth Frampton, also of Pennsylvania, and they had twelve 
children, all of whom grew to maturity: William, George and John, 
who are now deceased; Permelia ; Tamasine; Fannie and Salley, now 
deceased ; Elizabeth, deceased ; Zephaniah, father of subject : and three 
others whose names are not recalled. Besides farming Mr. Kelley fol- 
lowed weaving for awhile. He was a man of influence in his com- 
munity, and in politics he affiliated with the party from which the 
present Democracy is derived. 

Zephaniah Kelley, father of William, won his place in life by 
keeping in touch with the agricultural movement and venturing out into 
newly settled regions. He was born in Armstrong county, Pennsyl- 
vania, in 1816, and there obtained his education. During his young 
manhood he married Mary Berlin, who was born in Pennsylvania, 
daughter of David and Nancy (Koffman) Berlin, who were of German 
descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Kelley were born five children: Reuben B., 
now deceased; William R., who is mentioned below; Mary M., now de- 
ceased ; Sarah J. ; and George W. The first three were born in Pennsyl- 
vania ; the two youngest in Illinois. Some years after his marriage 
Mr. Kelley moved his family to the fertile district of Illinois, where, 
settling upon a farm, he engaged in agriculture very successfully for 
many years. As a skillful and untiring workman he succeeded in mak- 
ing his land yield large and profitable crops, and in time became a man 
of considerable means. In 1885 he disposed of his Illinois property and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 99 

came to Keokuk county, Iowa, locating at Ollie, in Jackson township. 
After a few years' residence here he went to live with his son. William 
R, where he spent his last clays. He died December 7, 1893. Mr. 
Kelley was one of the leading men in his community, and was a Re- 
publican, an earnest Christian and belonged to the Baptist church. Fra- 
ternally he affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons. 

William R. Kelley was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, 
May 30, 1842, and there resided until he was seven years old. Then 
he moved with his parents to the Illinois farm, where he was mainly 
reared and educated. His training was that of the ordinary farm boy 
of his day, a few months' attendance upon a country school for a num- 
ber of years, and a great deal of vigorous farm work. After leaving 
school he engaged regularly in active duties on the home place until 
he was twenty-one. Then the Civil war was raging, and in 1863 he 
enlisted in the Thirty-fourth Illinois Infantry and went to the front. 
He fought in several hot skirmishes, and in the hard battle of Kene- 
saw Mountain. Here. June 2j, 1864, he was wounded. He remained 
in service, however, a year longer, and June 2. 1865, was discharged 
at Davenport. Iowa. Returning to Illinois, he there engaged in farming 
until 1 87 1, earning for himsell a very comfortable competence. In that 
year he married in Illinois Martha J. Jones, who was born in Holmes 
county, Ohio, in 1845. an< l was there reared and educated. Her parents, 
John J. and Sarah (Flack) Jones, were of Welsh and Scotch-Irish 
descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Kelley have been born five children: Flur- 
ence A. ; Lucy G. ; Ralph W. ; John H. ; and Jennie G. Mrs. Kellev died 
May 29, 1900, and Mr. Kelley has since, May 4. 1902. married Mrs. 
J. H. Davis, who was born in Kentucky, in 1845. 

In the year of his first marriage, 1871, Mr. Kelley disposed of 

L oFC. 



100 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

much of his belongings, and taking some with him, joined the emigrant 
trains so frequent in those days and moved to Montgomery county, 
Iowa. Here settling upon a farm he remained for two years, becom- 
ing during this time well acquainted with the region and the best farm- 
ing districts. At the end of the period, however, he returned to Illi- 
nois, where he remained for about a year, settling up his business. 
Then, in 1875, he came back to Iowa and purchased the farm in the 
township of Lancaster where he has since remained. This property 
consists of ninety acres of excellent farming land, much of which he has 
himself cleared. He has made many improvements upon the place, and 
has it well under cultivation, and he is still carrying on here a flourish- 
ing industry. Mr. Kelley is considered a man of enterprise and thrift, 
and is well known throughout the county. In politics he is a Republi- 
can and takes an active interest in local affairs. As a Civil war veteran 
he belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic of Sigourney. 

SAMUEL ELWOOD BAMFORD, M. D. 

The flourishing town of Sigourney. Keokuk county, Iowa, has 
cause for congratulation when its list of capable and reliable professional 
men is recalled, and among these Dr. Samuel E. Bamford worthily rep- 
resents medicine and surgery. Dr. Bamford is a son of the state, 
born in Muscatine county on April 1, 1859. His parents were Rev. 
Robert L. and Eliza (Davis) Bamford, the former of whom was born 
in Knox county. Indiana, a son of Robert Bamford, who was born in 
1800, in New Vork. The early ancestors of the family were of En- 
glish origin and settlers in Canada, from whence they came to New 
York. Robert Bamford married Matilda Ludington. In search of a 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 101 

new home, they went into what was then the wilderness of the state 
of Indiana, and Robert took part in the Black Hawk war. Still ad- 
venturous, in 1834 the family went as pioneers to Iowa and located per- 
manently in Muscatine county. 

Rev. Robert Bamford was born in Indiana, May 2, [826, and was 
eight years of age when the Iow'a home was secured. Both his life 
and that of his only brother, George Bamford, were devoted to the 
ministry of the gospel in the Methodist church, of which the former is 
now a superannuated minister, residing at Allerton, Iowa. The mother 
of our subject was born in Indiana, and was a daughter of William 
Davis, who was a native of Virginia, from whence he removed first 
to Indiana and then to Muscatine county, Iowa. A good Christian 
mother, she cared tenderly for her seven children and passed out of life 
on November 1, 1897. The children born to Rev. Robert and wife 
were: Morris, a minister of the Methodist church; Bentley, also a min- 
ister in the same denomination; Dr. Samuel, of this sketch; Alice M. ; 
Elmer E., a physician of Centerville, Iowa; Isaiah D.. a resident of 
Wayne county, Iowa: and Mattie. 

As is not infrequently the case, our subject enjoyed great privileges 
as a son of a clergyman, but found the accompanying -.straightened cir- 
cumstances would not permit him to follow a professional career in 
early manhood. His education finished in the public schools, he engaged 
in teaching in order to provide means for his education in medicine. He 
spent nine years in farming, during which time he stored his mind with 
the necessary facts and had the satisfaction of graduating creditably, 
in 1889, from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, at Keokuk, Iowa. 
Dr. Bamford located at Clio, Wayne county, Iowa, and continued there 
in successful practice for a period of seven years. In 1895 the growth 



102 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of Sigourney offered a prospective field for excellent work and since 
locating here he has built up a large and lucrative practice. 

Dr. Bamford is a member of the board of pension examiners and 
; s a valuable member of the state and county as well as the American 
Medical associations, and also of the Association of Iowa Physicians. 
In politics Dr. Bamford is identified with the Republican party, and 
fraternally he is connected with the order of Odd Fellows. An early 
marriage left him with two daughters, who are now teachers in Wayne 
county. His second marriage took place in 1901, to Miss Anna A. 
Cogley, of Sigourney. The Doctor is also interested in farming and 
handles considerable stock in the way of horses and cattle. 



ALEXANDER M. NEAS. 

Alexander M. Xeas is one of the progressive and public-spirited 
citizens of Sigourney, Iowa, where he conducts a large and constantly 
increasing lumber business. Mr. Xeas was born in Butler county, Ohio, 
October 6, 1857, and is a son of Levi M. Neas. He was reared on a 
farm until he was thirteen years of age, at which time his parents 
removed to Sigourney, Iowa, where his father found constant and 
remunerative employment in the growing town, working at his trade 
of brick and stone-laying. After obtaining a good, common school 
education. Alexander learned the trade of brick and stone masonry 
and followed it until he was twenty-six years old. During the succeed- 
ing years he was very successful at bridge contracting and at the end 
of that period purchased a lumber yard in this city. Since 1889 he 
has carried on a lumber business, which has required all of his time and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 103 

energy to properly manage, and which is one of the important and re- 
liable industries of Sigourney. 

In 1882 Mr. Xeas was married to Miss Mollie Mackey, who is a 
daughter of Col. C. H. Mackey, of Sigourney, and two children have 
been born to this union, namely: Henry M. and Edith Gertrude. In 
political sentiment Mr. Neas is a Republican, and he is fraternally asso- 
ciated with the orders of Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen. 
He is one of the solid, trustworthy citizens of Sigourney, honest and 
upright, fair in his business dealings and ready to cast his influence at 
all times in the direction of education and morality and to further enter- 
prises of permanent good to his community. 

CHARLES E. McOUAID. 

Charles E. McOuaid, a member of the lumber firm of McCann & 
McOuaid, at Sigourney,^ Iowa, was born in Westmoreland county, Penn- 
sylvania, November 15, 1858, and is a son of James F. and Amanda 
(Cort) McOuaid, both of whom were natives of the same county. 
The ancestry of the family is Scotch-Irish on the paternal side and 
German on the maternal, both James McOuaid and Joseph Cort. the 
grandfathers, being born, however, in Pennsylvania. The father of our 
subject was a merchant for many years in Westmoreland county. In 
the vear 1869 he removed to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where bis 
widow still resides. He died in 1890, aged sixty years. A family of nine 
children was born to the parents of our subject, two of whom are de- 
ceased. 

Charles E. McOuaid. the subject of this sketch, was ten years old 
when his parents moved to Reaver county. His rearing was on a farm, 



104 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and his primary education was obtained in the public school, supple- 
mented later by two years at the State Normal School at Edinboro. The 
succeeding three years were spent as a teacher in his native state, and 
then he accepted a position as bookkeeper with a wholesale and retail 
hat, cap and fur establishment in Pittsburg, remaining with this one firm 
for nine years. In April, 189c), he located at What Cheer, Iowa, and for the 
iwo succeeding years was the traveling representative of the Crescent 
Coal Company, and for two more years for the C. L. Dering Coal 
Company, wholesale, of Chicago, returning to the former company for 
two and one-half years again. 

In the spring of 1898 our subject became associated with Lee Mc- 
Cann in business in Sigourney, under the firm name of McCann & Mc- 
Onaid, which since that time has been a leading factor in the lumber 
trade of this section. This firm succeeded to the oldest lumber yard of 
Keokuk county and have instituted progressive methods which have been 
met very favorably by the public. Mr. McQuaid has been very active 
in looking after all lumber interests and for two years was the president 
of the Southeastern Iowa Retail Lumber Association. 

Air. McQuaid was married in 1890 to Miss Lavina Sampson, who 
is a daughter of the late Judge E. S. Sampson. Both our subject and 
wife are prominent in the Presbyterian church, and for three years he 
has been the efficient superintendent of the Sunday school. He is also 
president of the Keokuk County Sunday School Association. In 
public matters our subject has always shown a public-spirited interest, 
has served as town councilman, as a Democrat, has been a very acceptable 
member of the school board, and in 1902 was chairman of the Demo- 
cratic county central committee. Mr. McQuaid's fraternal relation, 
are with the Roval Arch Masons. Canton Lodge of Odd Fellows, the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 105 

Modern Woodmen and the order of Fraternal Choppers. As a busi- 
ness man, citizen. Sunday school superintendent and member of the 
social circle. Air. McQuaid is a man to be esteemed, and he enjoys to the 
highest extent the respect and kind wishes of his community. 

GILBERT BEEBE RICHARDSON. 

One of the leading business men of Sigourney, Iowa, dealing prin- 
cipally in music and musical instruments, is Gilbert Beebe Richardsoii, 
who was born on a farm in Steady Run township, Keokuk county, Iowa, 
oii April 14, 1858, and is a son of Thomas and Eliza Ann (Weller) 
Richardson, whose history is recorded in the biographic sketch of Joseph 
M. Richardson, elsewhere in this volume. Mr. Richardson was reared 
on a farm and obtained his education in the common schools. At the 
age of nineteen years he began teaching school in the rural neighbor- 
hoods and continued in this profession for three years. In 1883 he went 
into railroading and became agent and telegraph operator for the Bur- 
lington & Western railroad, a position he held for twelve years. Our 
subject then engaged for a short time in the hardware business at Mar- 
tinsburg, but later sold this business and re-entered the employ of the 
same railroad, taking a position in the train dispatcher's office at Bur- 
lington, serving two years as assistant and one year as chief dispatcher. 
On account of failing health he then felt obliged to give up telegraphic 
work and seek some other employment. In 1901 he purchased a grocery 
store, in Sigourney, but he has since then changed his stock to music, 
this being more in accordance with his tastes. 

In 1880 Air. Richardson was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
E. McKinnis, of Keokuk county, and four children have been born to 



106 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

this union, namely : Pearlie L., Edna G., Jesse T. and Leona M. With 
wife and children, our subject belongs to the Presbyterian church. His 
career in this community has won for him the esteem of the citizens and 
he has a wide and pleasant acquaintance with the taveling public in this' 
locality, numbering many friends, who value him highly. 

HENRY F. WAGNER. 

One of the leading young members of the legal profession, who 
has chosen the flourishing town of Sigourney as the scene of his labors, 
is Henry F. Wagner, who has already made very gratifying progress, 
although but a few years have elapsed since his admission to the Keokuk 
county bar. The birth of Mr. Wagner occurred on February n, 1874, 
in Lancaster township, Keokuk county, Iowa, and he is a son of John 
M. and Caroline (Meyer) Wagner, the former of whom was born in 
Snyder county, Pennsylvania, on October 22, 1831, and the latter in 
Licking county, Ohio, on February 6, 1845. Both parents are of Ger- 
man descent. They were married in Ohio and came to Keokuk county 
in 1871 and in 1872 purchased their present fine farm in Lancaster 
township. They have four surviving children, namely : Ida Ann, 
Mary C., Susan Belle and Henry F. Mr. Wagner has always followed 
an agricultural life, and has actively supported the Republican party. 
The family is a much respected one in Lancaster township. 

Our subject was reared on his father's farm and attended the coun- 
try schools until he was fourteen years old, completing the course at 
that age. In 1891 he graduated from the Sigourney high school and at 
the age of nineteen began teaching in the country schools. For three 
years he worked industriously, working through the summers on the 




DANIEL SWICKARD. 



MM 




MRS. DANIEL SWICKARD. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 10 

farm and spending the fall and winter terms in teaching. He entered 
the law department of the Iowa State Univesity and at that institution 
was graduated in June, 1898. He immediately began practice in 
Sigourney and has. already won attention from his brother attorneys by 
his legal ability and thorough knowledge. In politics he is a Republican, 
wbile fraternally his associations are with the Royal Arch Masons, the 
Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. On October 12, 1898, he 
was married to Miss Lilian Updegraff, of Keokuk county, and a little 
daughter has been named Gladys. A very promising future opens be- 
fore Mr. Wagner, and his friends predict for him a successful legal 
career. 

DANIEL SWICKARD. 

Prominent among the representatives of Martinsburg, Keokuk 
county, who have by honest toil and industry succeeded in acquiring a 
handsome competence and are now able to spend the sunset of life in 
quiet and retirement, is the gentleman whose name appears above, a 
man who has for the past forty-six years been very eminently connected 
with the development and growth of Keokuk county. He is to-day 
one of the best and most favorably known men in the county, and has 
the confidence and the respect of a large body of associates. Briefly 
touching upon the family history of our friend, we note that his people 
came from the Keystone state to Steubenville, Ohio, where our subject 
was born February 1, 1822. His father before him was Daniel Swick- 
ard, who prior to coming to Ohio had served gallantly as an officer in the 
army during the war of 181 2, being under the noted General Harrison. 
He was a farmer by occupation, and was also interested in the distilling 
business. He was a very large real estate owner.. Later in life he removed 



110 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

from near Steubenville to Franklin count}', Ohio, where he owned a body 
of land of twelve hundred acres and for a period of twelve years was 
a man of influence in that community. He served during that time 
as justice of the peace, and at his death, which occurred at the age of 
eighty-six years, was regarded as one of the best citizens of the county. 
In political belief lie followed the teachings of the Whigs, and was later 
a supporter of the Republican party. His religious affiliations were 
with the Evangelical church, in which organization he was an earnest 
and active worker. Grandfather Daniel Swickard was born in the 
fatherland, he having' come to Pennsylvania in early life, and later to 
Ohio, where he died at the age of eighty-four years. Concerning the 
maternal ancestry of Mr. Swickard, his mother was Mary Magdaline; 
she died in 1894 at a very advanced age and was the mother of twelve 
children, all of whom grew to maturity but one. After her death Mr. 
Swickard was again married, there being but one child born to the 
second marriage. 

Of the first family Mr. Swickard. our subject, was the seventh child. 
His early youth and boyhood were passed in Franklin county, Ohio, 
where he was given a fair education in the log schoolhouse of that ear: v 
time. He remained at home until the date of his majority, when he 
apprenticed himself to the shoemaker's trade, at which business he 
worked for a period of some twelve years. He then engaged in farm- 
ing. The primary cause of the change was his failing health. He ar- 
rived in Keokuk county in 1856 and purchased a farm in Steady Run 
township, which he conducted for a number of years, and which he 
brought to a very high state of cultivation. He continued the opera- 
tion of this farm until 1890. when he removed to aMrtinsburg, since 
which time he has not been actively engaged in business. He married 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTi )R Y. Ill 

in 1844 a lady by the name of Elizabeth Campbell, a sister of Mr. John 
Campbell, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this book. Her death 
occurred in about 1893 and Mr. Swickard again married, the lady being 
his present wife, whose maiden name was Miss Carter, the date of the 
marriage being 1894. Mrs. Swickard was born in Plain township, 
Franklin count}-, Ohio, and was there reared and educated. Her father 
was D. Carter, a native of Virginia and a pioneer in Franklin county. 
Her mother's maiden name was Nancy Noe, who was a native of New 
Jersey. They were parents of four daughters and one son. Mr. and 
Mrs. Swickard are prominent and worthy members of the Methodist 
church, in which organization they have always taken a very active 
part, Mr. Swickard having been a member for sixty years, and during 
many years of that time has held the office of class leader and steward. 
In political affiliations he supports the Republican party, having come 
to that party from the old Whig organization. It is due to Mr. Swick- 
ard to say that he is beloved and respected by all who are acquainted 
with him. and his honorable association with the development of the 
county entitles him to representation in this volume. 

JOHN FREDERICK GOELDXER. 

Among the worthy and substantial citizens of Keokuk county, Iowa, 
who developed a fine farm in Clear Creek township and became one of 
the leading agriculturists, was the late John Frederick Goeldner. who was 
born in Schlesien, Germany, on April 23, 1831, and passed out of life, 
on his farm in German township, to which he had moved about six years 
previously, on August 5, 1897. Mr. Goeldner was reared in his native 
country and there learned the trade of plasterer and acquired a fair 



112 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

education in the local schools. He reached America in the fall of 1852, 
prior to his marriage, accompanied by several of his brothers, and all 
for a time remained in Baltimore. It was the object of our subject. 
however, to obtain land in some new state and develop it and establish 
a home. From Baltimore he drifted to near St. Louis and finally 
reached Keokuk county, Iowa, where he soon purchased land in Clear 
Creek township. Here he went industriously to work and in the couse of 
years became the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and sixty acres. 
He was a successful man, but this success may be entirely attributed to 
his own efforts. At the same time that he was acquiring property and 
thus securing the comfort of his family, he was growing in the esteem of 
his fellow citizens. 

In 1S56 he married Theresa Nauman, who is a sister of Charles A. 
Nauman, elsewhere mentioned; she was born in Saxony, Germany, June 
2, 1840, and accompanying her parents to America in 1853. The 
marriage took place in Keokuk county, Iowa, and seven children were 
born to them: Otto T., born October 16, 1858. who is a farmer in Clear 
Creek township, Keokuk county; Hulda E., May 25, 1861, died Octo- 
ber 26, 1901 ; Ida M., August 20, 1863, who is the widow of A. G. 
Schulte; Guido H., January 21, 1866, of Clear Creek township, where he 
is farming: Arthur E., February 11, 1869, who is a farmer in German 
township; Hugo F., April 10, 1873, who is an attorney in Sigourney: 
and Charles M., January 29, 1877, who is a farmer on the home place,, 
his mother residing with him there. In political sentiment Mr. Goeldner 
was a Republican. 

Hugo F. Goeldner, one of the leading young attorneys of Sigour- 
nev, Iowa, was born in Clear Creek township, Keokuk county, on April 
10, 1873. He was given excellent school advantages and graduated 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 113 

from Sigourney high school in 1894, entering immediately upon the 
study of law and graduating with honor from the law department of the 
State University in 1897. He was admitted to practice in Keokuk 
county and entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, A. G. 
Schulte, the firm name being Schulte & Goeldner, the firm only being dis- 
solved upon the death of Mr. Schulte on January 30, 1900. In politics 
our subject is an active Republican and he is fraternally connected with 
the Royal Arch Masons. The success which he has attained in his 
chosen profession has been most gratifying and argues for still higher 
hi in >rs in the future. 

FRANCIS A. SCHIPFER, SR. 

Francis A. Schipfer, Sr., was born in the kingdom of Prussia, Ger- 
many, on February 12, 1831, and is a son of Kaspfer and Barbara 
( Wessbecher) Schipfer, who lived and died in Germany, their native 
land. Eight children were born to Kaspfer Schipfer and wife, but Francis 
A. was the only one who came to America. At that time he was a fairly 
well educated young man of twenty years and had already sufficiently 
filled a clerical position in a mercantile establishment. In 185 1 he 
landed in the great metropolis of New York, but he remained there but 
a short time, spending over a year looking about for a suitable place in 
which to locate, and visiting Newark, New Jersey; Hamilton, Ohio; and 
then Burlington, Iowa. In that city he lived for two and one-half 
years, coming to Sigourney on July 3, 1856. Prior to this location lie 
had filled clerical positions, but here he embarked in business for him- 
self, opening up a general store, his business house continuing all these 
years. Mr. Schipfer is the only merchant of Sigourney who was in 



114 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

business when lie settled here. His success has been very satisfactory, 
although several changes have been made in the firm style. It began 
as the firm of F. A. Schipfer, later was changed to Schipfer & Sons, 
and about 1890, when the sons took active charge, the name became 
Schipfer Bros., as it now appears to the trade and the public. In 1890 
Mr. Schipfer made a visit to Germany and renewed old associations. 

In 1858 Francis A. Schipfer was married in Sigourney to Emily 
Knape, who was also born in Germany. The children born to them are: 
Francis A., Herman J., Louis J., Oscar A., Eugene, Fred C. and Clara, 
all of the sons and the daughter making up the present firm of Shipfer 
Bros. Mr. Schipfer has never been active in politics, but votes the Re- 
publican ticket. 

SCHIPFER BROS. 

In the biographical sketch of Francis A. Schipfer, Sr., some history 
of the business firm of Schipfer Bros, is indicated. The business has re- 
sulted fn>m that established by Francis A. Schipfer, Sr., in 1856. As 
his sons grew into years of usefulness as clerks, they entered their 
father's store and were brought up and trained to the business. About 
1890 the father relinquished active connection with the business, and 
the firm of Schipfer Bros, came into existence. The business is con- 
ducted in three adjoining store rooms, one room being devoted to dry 
goods and notions .one to clothing and one to groceries. In these 
lines of merchandise a large and well selected stock of goods is carried. 
The firm enjoys an extensive trade, and is noted for its fair dealing 
and courtesy, and is perhaps the leading business firm of Sigourney. to 
the growth and development of which town it has materially contrib- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 115 

uted. Francis A. Schipfer, Jr., is the senior member of the firm, he 
being the eldest of the brothers. While all the sons and their only 
sister constitute the firm, the sister and Herman J. are not active mem- 
bers of the firm. All save these two are identified closely with the man- 
agement and direction of the affairs of the firm. HermanJ. is interested 
in farming. All the sons and the father are numbered among the en- 
terprising and representative citizens and the entire family are noted 
for much merit, enjoying the esteem and confidence of a wide circle of 
acquaintance. 

PHILIP CRONEWETH. 

One of the oldest and most highly respected residents of Sigourney, 
Keokuk county, Iowa, is Philip Croneweth, who has made his home 
here since 1854. His birth occurred in Baden Baden, Germany, in 
1822, where he remained until about the age of nineteen years. Coming 
to the United States in the hope of bettering his condition and wishing 
to take advantage of the larger opportunities offered young men in 
this country, Mr. Croneweth put into practice the habits of thrift which 
he had learned in his native land, and in the course of time accumulated 
ample means. Mr. Croneweth engaged in chair-making and house 
painting at Blooming Grove, Morrow county, Ohio, for some years, 
and there married Miss Mary Mark, who was also born in Germany 
and still survives. Three children were born to this union, but the only 
survivor is John W., a well known citizen of Sigourney. In 1854 Mr. 
Croneweth removed from Ohio to this city and here followed both 
house painting and cabinet-making. 

John \Y. Croneweth was born in Morrow county, Ohio, July 29, 



116 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1848, and was six years of age when his parents came to Iowa. His 
education was secured in the public schools, and at the age of eighteen 
years he engaged in the grocery business, and during this period also 
handled jewelry as a side line. Thus he became acquainted with the 
jewelry business and trade and learned it thoroughly. For a time, with 
a partner, Mr. Croneweth operated a hotel, a restaurant, a grocery and 
a jewelry business. When these many enterprises became too large to 
be handled together, the partnership was dissolved and our subject took 
the jewelry business as his own line of activity. For twenty years he 
has conducted the same, with great success, in this city, and by his hon- 
est methods and his intimate relation with the trade, which enable him 
to make reasonable prices, he has won the confidence of the community 
and enjoys a large patronage. In 1887 Mr. Croneweth was married to 
Miss Rose Constant, and to this union was born one son, Harry, who is 
a bright student in the city schools. 

Mr. Croneweth is a man of substance and prominence, gaining his 
ample means by his own efforts, and the approbation of his fellow citi- 
zens by his business ability and exemplary life. For a number of years 
he has been active in the Republican party and has served efficiently on 
the city council and in the office of recorder. Fraternally he belongs 
to the Knights of Pythias, and also to the Masonic Blue lodge. 

LEANDER BELONG. 

Prominent among the citizens of Keokuk county who have wit- 
nessed the marvelous development of the state in the past half century, 
and who have taken an active part in its development and progress, is the 
gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, a well known and pros- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 117 

perous farmer of German township. Mr. Delong is a son of David and 
Jane (Law) Delong, and was born in Perry county, Ohio, February 12, 
1829. He passed the early days of his boyhood and youth on the farm, 
and attended a district school, where he acquired his elementary educa- 
tion. Arriving at maturity, in 1850 he crossed the plains with an ox 
team to California, where he remained for a period of a year engaged 
in an attempt to secure some of the gold dust that had been discovered 
at the famous Sutter's Mill. He, however, was not very successful in 
this attempt, and after a twelve months' trial returned to civilization 
b\ way of the Isthmus. His trip home took him to the island of Cuba, 
and from' thence by way of New Orleans he came home to Washington 
county. Remaining here for a period of about a year, he settled in 
Keokuk county, the year being 1856. His farm here consists of three 
hundred acres of land, most of which he cleared and broke himself, and 
has himself placed all of the valuable improvements which are to be found 
on the farm. The marriage of Mr. Delong occurred in the year 1856 
in Keokuk county, the lady's name being Sarah Brannan. This lady 
was born in Canada. Her people later settled in the Keystone state, 
her father's name being Dennis Brannan and her mother's being Sarah. 
They were both natives of Ireland. Mrs. Delong was reared in the Key- 
stone state, and early in the fifties came to Keokuk county with her 
parents. Mr. Delong is looked upon as one of the leading agriculturists 
in Keokuk county, and worth)' in every respect of the esteem in which he 
is held by a host of admiring friends. 

Mentioning the salient points in the family history of Mr. Delong, 
his father was David Delong, as stated above, a native of Kentucky, 
who settled in Ohio on a farm in Guernsey county. After a short resi- 
dence there the family moved to Perry county, he first contracting mar- 



118 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

riage in Guernsey county with Miss Jane Law, the date being 1S11. 
She was burn in Wheeling, West Virginia, from which point her parents 
removed in her girlhood to Guernsey county, Ohio. Mr. Delong is a 
member of a family of eight boys and three girls, all but two of *vhom 
grew to maturity. In 1841 the parents removed to Washington 
enmity, Iowa, where they settled on a farm, and continued to reside there 
until their death. 



JOSEPH M. RICHARDSON. 

According to the best information obtainable Mr. Richardson is 
of Scotch descent. The great-grandfather is said to have come from 
Scotland. He must have lived for some time in the state of New York, 
for there a son, Joseph, was born. This son became one of the early 
settlers of Ohio, later went to Indiana and subsequently moved to Mc- 
Donough county, Illinois, where he died at the age of sixty-two. 

Joseph M. Richardson, the subject of this sketch, was the son of 
Thomas and Eliza Ann (Weller) Richardson. The father was a 
son of the elder Joseph and was born September 8, 1809, in Ohio. He 
early went to Indiana and in 1836 removed to Illinois, McDonough 
county. He remained here until 1845, when by covered wagon he came 
to Iowa. This was two years after the western part of the state was 
opened for settlement. Thomas took up farming land from the gov- 
ernment in Steady Run township, Keokuk county, where he lived until 
the time of his death, in 1872. The date of entry is fixed as 1846 and 
the land is still in the family. As pioneers they naturally underwent 
many hardships, but trials shared in common are the meeting ground 
for congenial people, and the steadfast, trustful nature of both man and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 119 

wife secured for Mr. and Airs. Richardson the joy of many friendships. 
They were parents of twelve children, namely: Lydia M. ; Joseph M. ; 
Benjamin F., of Martinsburg, Iowa; Francis P., living on the old home- 
stead ; Man- Ellen ; James W., deceased; David, residing in Lewis, Iowa ; 
Eliza Jane; Bennett J., who died; Gilbert B., of Sigourney; Harriet and 
Emma, who have both died. Thomas Richardson was originally a 
Whig but later joined the Democratic party. Both he and his wife 
were members of the Predestinarian Baptist church. 

Eliza Ann Weller was born in Kentucky, December 30. 181 5. Her 
father, Joseph Weller, was a pioneer settler of Indiana, in which state 
he died. His wife was Margaret Fry, a native of Kentucky, whose 
family came originally from Pennsylvania. The Weller and Fry fami- 
lies are both of Dutch descent. Eliza Ann Weller was a woman of sweet 
yet forceful character. She died in Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1894. 

Joseph M. Richardson was born on a farm in Vermilion county, 
Indiana, January 7, 1836. At the age of six months his parents mined 
to Illinois, and when only nine years old he went with them to Iowa. 
His life has been that of a pioneer with limited advantages for education, 
small leisure and plenty of hardship, privation and strenuous labor. He 
was reared on the farm and the ordinary common schools were his 
means of instruction, save those surer and more effective means which 
try the mettle and prepare admirably for life; we mean the struggle 
with pioneer difficulties, the revelations of and communions with nature 
and the actual contact with real men. He early went to work for 
strangers, on the farm as the all-around hand and in the country store as 
clerk. Up to his twentieth year his wages went to his parents. At that 
time, in 1856, he married and settled on a farm in Lancaster township. 
There he lived until 1869, devoting his time chiefly to farming and car- 



120 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

pentering. In April, 1869, lie moved to Ioka, Iowa, where he opened a 
general store, which he conducted for fourteen years. He spent one 
year in fanning and in 1884 went into the general merchandise business 
at Martinsburg, Iowa. In 1885 he was elected on the Democratic 
ticket to the office of county auditor. He moved to Sigourney m the 
spring of the following year. In the fall of 1887 he was re-elected by 
his party and at the expiration of his second term, in the spring of 1890, 
he moved to a farm near Martinsburg, which he had received in ex- 
change for his general store. In 1891, in February, he sold this farm 
and returned to the merchandise business, this time at Sigourney, which 
city he has since made his home. He conducted this general store for 
nine years, sold out and after a lapse of one year bought a half interest 
in a retail hardware business. After one year he sold his share in that 
store and now he is living a retired life, enjoying the rewards of years of 
labor. 

On October 9, 1856, Mr. Richardson married Miss Emily, daughter 
of John C. and Pamela Jacobs, who came to Keokuk county about 1846. 
She is a native of Indiana. The union was blessed by the birth of nine 
children : Henry L., deceased ; Frank P. ; Malissa E. ; William H, who 
has also held office as county auditor; Edward E. ; Thomas S., deceased ; 
S. Walter; Albert L. ; and Susan J. Richardson. Mr. Richardson is a 
splendid example of the self-made man; his life is an illustration of what 
industry, application and perseverance will accomplish. 

S. W. BRUNT. 

In reviewing the life of S. W. Brunt we are dealing with the history 
of a family that has been connected with the development of several 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 121 

states for several generations. James Brunt, the grandfather, was 
horn in Currituck county, North Carolina, in 1770. He was the eldest 
son of Richard and Nancy (Bisco) Brunt; his ancestors had come from 
England in the very early days of colonization, settling in his native 
county. James married a young woman descended on paternal and 
maternal side from the French Huguenots. She was Sarah Harris, 
daughter of William and Ann (Cowel) Harris. For several years 
after his marriage James remained in Currituck county, where all his 
children were horn save William Harris, the youngest. In 1809 the 
"family moved to Rowan county. North Carolina. Here the seventh 
child. William, was horn March 22, 1810. Here James joined 
the Baptists and his wife entered the Methodist church. In 1829 they 
moved to Indiana, settling in Rush county and later, in 1836, removing 
to Madison count}', Indiana, where they spent the last years of their 
lives and where all that remains of these hrave pioneers, in an earthly 
way, lies buried. The six eldest children were: Lydia, Mary. Ann, 
John, Polly and Thomas. 

William Harris Brunt, the youngest, was nineteen years old when 
he came to Indiana with his parents. He had received a fair education 
while in North Carolina and upon entering his new state he engaged in 
teaching, saving thereby enough money to buy eighty acres from the 
government. This land he cleared and in 1836, when his father located 
in Madison county, William Harris entered some new land in the same 
county, moved his own family there and remained for fully eleven years. 
Then in the spring of 1848 he cast his eye farther west and took up 
more government land in what is now Lancaster township, Keokuk 
county. Iowa. Thus, for the third time in his life, he became a pioneer 
and in all his efforts he was nobly aided and encouraged by his wife, a 



122 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

woman of sterling qualities, large heart and generous mind. He had 
married her in the old Indiana home while still in Rush county. She 
was a native of Maryland, who had been reared in Kentucky, and who 
was Nancy Williams, daughter of Mathias and Elizabeth (Lauftis) 
Williams; she was excellently prepared to furnish the lighter element to 
happiness and still exert a beningn influence through her calm and pur- 
poseful life. She was born August 14, 1807, and it was her good fortune 
before her death, which occurred on October 25, 1874, in Keokuk county, 
to see honor and distinction come to the man of her maiden dreams and 
to see her husband rise in the estimation of the community and win the 
respect and esteem of his fellow men. They had been married Febru- 
ary 2 1 , [832. In 1839 they joined the Christian church and to this faith 
thev e,ver afterward remained firm adherents. He was ordained a min- 
ister of this church in Indiana, and until old age forced his retirement 
he continued in the ministry, his labors being mostly those of a local 
minister. Their children were: Sarah, widow of Jacob Shoemaker, 
living in Grand Island, Nebraska : James M., who died at the age of seven 
years; John M., of Lincoln, Kansas; Samuel W.. the subject of this 
sketch; and Elizabeth, wife of J. S. Morrow, a farmer of Lancaster 
township, this county. They all received a liberal education and excel- 
lent home training. John M. Brunt was during two terms clerk of the 
courts of this county and for one term he served as county treasurer. 

William H. Brunt was a public-spirited man, a liberal patron of 
church and school. He was an organizer of the Christian church at Lan- 
caster. Iowa, and was a principal donor to the construction of the church 
building. He was a strong Union man during secession times, though 
in politics he identified himself with the Democatic party. He held the 
office of countv treasurer, was school fund commissioner and member of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 123 

the count}' board of supervisors. lie filled all these positions with en- 
tire satisfaction to all concerned and ingratiated himself in the heart of 
the community. He lived on the farm on which he first settled when he 
came to Iowa until his death on July 17, 1898. 

Samuel W. Brunt was horn in Madison county, Indiana, October 4, 
1840. He was in his eighth year when his parents brought him to Keo- 
kuk county. They gave him a fair education, and with industry aiding 
natural ability, Samuel reached sufficiently high scholarship to warrant 
his entering the profession of teaching. He soon turned his sole atten- 
tion to farming. In 1874 he went to California, spent about six years 
there in civil engineering and upon his return to Iowa resumed farming, 
devoting his main efforts to stock raising and buying and selling cattle. 
It was about this time, somewhere along in the eighties, that he held the 
office of county surveyor. Politically he accepts the traditions of his 
father and associates himself with the Democrats. For ten years pre- 
vious to January, 1900, he was cashier of the Keokuk County State Bank. 
The confidence in his integrity was so great that the directors intrusted 
him with the entire management, never once during the entire ten years 
requiring him to furnish a bond. He was careful and conservative, 
and on retiring from the position of cashier he was elected president of 
the bank, but declined the position. 

In 1866 he married Miss Rebecca Payne, daughter of Rev. Samuel 
and Lucy Payne. Their two children are living; they are: Arthur H., 
cashier in the Keokuk County State Bank, succeeding his father; and 
Lulu, wife of U. G. Dawson, residing in Ottumwa, Iowa. Mrs. Brunt 
is a native of Iowa. In October, 1861, Mr. Brunt enlisted in Company 
D, of the Thirteenth Iowa Vi ilunteer Infantry. He served as a private 
three and a half years and was honorably discharged in 1865. He saw 



124 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

some very active service, being in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, the 
siege of Vicksburg and Atlanta. He was captured at Atlanta, July 22, 
1864, and for seven months thereafter was held a prisoner of war at An- 
dersonville and Florence, North Carolina. He belongs to the Robert F. 
Lowe Post, No. 167, Grand Army of the Republic. Fraternally Mr. 
Brunt is a Mason and a Shriner. He is a member of the Webb Lodge, 
No. 182, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is prominent as a 
York Rite Mason. He belongs to Jopa Chapter, No. 40, Royal Arch 
Masons, of the De Payne Commandery, No. 6, Knight Templar, of 
Oskaloosa, Iowa ; Kaaba Temple at Davenport, Iowa. 

GOTTLIEB E. KLEINSCHMIDT. 

Gottlieb E. Kleinschmidt was not quite seven years old when his 
parents and four children left Prussia, Germany, and settled in St. Louis, 
Missouri, in 1854. Nicholas Kleinschmidt, the father, had no broth- 
ers ; his only sister and his parents remained in the fatherland. He was 
born in Prussia, April 14, 1816, received a fair education and learned the 
trade of a wagon-maker. At the age of twenty-two he marriad Dora 
Schacht, who was born in Prussia, April 6, 181 5. They had five chil- 
dren: August, who died in Dakota in 1891 ; Amelia, wife of George 
Pennington of Morgan county, Indiana; Gottlieb E. ; William C, i 
farmer in Keokuk county, Iowa ; and Louis, a farmer of Washington 
county, Iowa. The first four were born in Germany; Louis in Amer- 
ica. The family lived in St. Louis two years, where the father worked 
at his trade. In the fall of 1855 he went 10 Sigourney, bought a lot 
and built a house for his family, who moved into the new home the fol- 
lowing April. He opened a blacksmith and carriage shop and conducted 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 125 

his business with great success. In 1883 he gave the management to 
his son. Gottlieb, though for a few years longer he continued to take 
an interest in the business. He died December 18, 1901 ; his wife, on 
June 6, 1883. They were members of the Lutheran church and trained 
their family according to the doctrines of their faith. He was a Repub- 
lican in politics. His life was a personification of faithful, continued 
labor, frugality, honesty and wisdom. He was a thoroughly success- 
ful business man. 

His son Gottlieb has carried on the business established on worthy 
principles of fair dealing and efficient service. He learned the business of 
wagon-making and blacksmithing from his father, with whom he worked 
ami whom he superseded as head of the establishment in 1883. He has 
associated with him his own son, George, who since 1900 has charge of 
the affairs. Gottlieb E. Kleinschmidt was born in Prussia, Germany, 
December 28, 1847. He obtained a common school education, worked 
hard at his trade and in 1884 took an active interest in the organization 
of the Keokuk County State Bank. He was made a director at the time 
and has continued in that position ever since. He was for ten years 
vice-president of the board and in 1899 he was elected president of the 
bank. Since 1899 the bank has done an increasingly large business, 
due in great measure to the efforts to Mr. Kleinschmidt. 

In 1875 he married Miss Sophia, (laughter of Charles and Sophia 
(Voltmer) Backhous. She is a native of Keokuk county. Mr. and 
Mrs. Kleinschmidt have ten children: five daughters and five sons. He 
belongs to the Democratic party, but has never held office. Fraternally 
he is a member of the local chapter of Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows and he affiliates with Webb Lodge, No. 182, Ancient Free and 
Accepted Masons, of Sigourney. 



126 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

JOHN J. KELLY. 

John J. Kelly was born in Ireland. November 24, 1826. He was 
the son of John and Catherine (Griffin) Kelly. The mother died when 
John J. was a boy of eight years and some time later the father entered 
upon a second marriage. At the age of fifteen John J. left home, went 
to England, where he worked in the coal mines, and five years after, 
in 1846, came to America. He settled in Schuylkill county, Pennsyl- 
vania, worked as a miner in the coal fields of that district and became 
later a contractor in coal mine and railroad construction work. In the 
fall of 1863 he went west, spent the winter at coal mining in Illinois and 
in April, 1864, took his family to Liberty township, Keokuk county, 
Iowa. There he successfully engaged in farming for many years, devot- 
ing considerable time to stock raising and cattle buying. 

About 1853 he married Bridget Lagan, who had come to Penn- 
sylvania from Ireland with her parents when she was a girl of thirteen 
years. She died in May, 1890, aged fifty-seven years. Of his mar- 
riage six children were born, namely : Thomas ; Patrick, a farmer in 
Keokuk county; John, who died at the age of about thirty-three, leaving 
a wife and three children; Mary, a resident of Chicago; Anthony, who 
lives on the old homestead ; and Bridget, wife of Andrew Hayes, a farmer 
of Liberty township, this county. John J. Kelly died in Sigourney, 
Iowa, October 17, 1898. He was a Roman Catholic and reared his chil- 
dren in the faith of his fathers. 

THOMAS KELLY. 

Thomas Kelly was born in Pennsylvania, June 26, 1854, son of 
John J. and Bridget (Lagan) Kelly. He was reared on the farm and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 127 

alter completing the course in the common school he went to Dubuque, 
Iowa, for two years of training at St. Joseph's College. He returned to 
the farm and for three years he worked in the fields in the summer time 
and taught school in winter. He was then appointed deputy county 
treasurer, and at the end of two years went into the general merchandise 
business at Kinross, Keokuk county. The following year, 1890, he was 
elected county recorder and returned by his party for a second term. 
In 1894 he was appointed assistant cashier of the Sigourney Savings 
Bank, a position which he has held ever since. Thomas Kelly is a Demo- 
crat and an active man in his part)'. He was delegate from his con- 
gressional district to the national Democratic convention at Kansas City 
in 1900. Mr. Kelly was married in 1879 to Miss Anastasia Slattery, 
a native of Keokuk county, and the marriage has given issue to nine 
children. 

JOHN G. and FERDINAND L. GOELDNER. 

John G. Goeldner was born in Prussia, Germany, January 14, 1812. 
His parents lived and died in Germany, the mother dying when John 
was a boy of six or seven years. At the age of twenty-seven he mar- 
ried ; his wife died leaving him two daughters. He married a second 
time, choosing Rosa Liersch as wife. In 1858 the family, consisting 
of Mr. and Mrs. Goeldner, two daughters by the first wife and two sons 
by the second, came to America and settled in Clear Creek township, 
Keokuk county, Iowa. He bought eighty acres, involving himself to 
some extent in debt but soon gaining a more than an ordinary income 
and through continued industry arriving at considerable wealth. In 
1876 the family moved to Lafayette township in the same county; and 
there they live now (1902), Mr. Goeldner holding possession of about 



128 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

two hundred forty-eight acres of fine farming land. The children by 
his first wife are: Ernestine, widow of Charles Nauman; Hannah, wife 
of Fred Just. By his second wife he had the following children : John A., 
living in Adams county. Iowa; Frederick T., of Keokuk county; Her- 
man, of Washington county; Henry, living in Keokuk county; Ferdi- 
nand L., living at Sigourney ; Alvina, who lives at home with her par- 
ents; Mary V., widow of Herman C. Axthelm; John G., who died at 
the age of sixteen; and Rosa, who is still at home. He is a Republican ; 
religiously he and his wife are of the Lutheran persuasion, both being 
prominent members of the church and highly respected and esteemed by 
friends and acquaintances. 

Ferdinand L. Goeldner has had better educational advantages than 
his father, in fact better advantages than most men of his age and com- 
munity, and his life has been more eventful than ordinary and marked 
with singular success. He was born on a farm in Clear Creek town- 
ship, this county, on March 5, 1864. His early education began at the 
little country school near his home. Later he attended the Keota high 
school and graduated from that institution in May. 1884. At Ames he 
attended the Iowa Agricultural College for two years. His was not a 
consecutive course of training, for at intervals he taught in the public 
schools. In the spring of 1889 he became deputy clerk of the district 
court and for four consecutive years be filled that office with universal 
satisfaction. In the meantime he studied law with the Hon. G. D. 
Woodin and on May 11, 1892, he was admitted to the bar before the 
supreme court of Iowa. The next day he was admitted to the United 
States circuit court, southern district of Iowa, at Des Moines. January 
1, 1893, he opened an office in Sigourney and began the practice of law. 
Mr. Goeldner is a Republican and an active man in his party. In 1893 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 129 

he was chairman of the Republican central county committee and in the 
fall of [894 was elected county attorney for Keokuk county. His party 
kept him in office for a second term and at the expiration of that time 
he resumed his law practice. Mr. Goeldner is a member of the Knights 
of Pythias and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He 
is still a young man and has already met with that degree of success 
which indicates a brilliant future. 

A. M. ASHCRAFT. 

A. M. Ashcraft was born in Carmi, White county. Illinois. .March 
5, 1871. Fie was the son of Thomas and Cornelia I. (Rice) Ashcraft. 
The mother was born and reared in White county; the father was ot 
southern extraction. Thomas F. Ashcraft was born in North Carolina 
and at the age of ten moved with his parents to Mississippi. Here he 
learned the harness-maker's trade. When the secession spirit in the 
south grew strong Thomas found it uncomfortable, for he was a strong 
southern Union man. He was forced to leave the south and made his 
waj to St. Louis. But even Missouri could not tolerate him, so he 
started for Illinois and finally settled in Carmi. There he followed his 
trade for many years and married and reared a family. 

A. M. Ashcraft. the son, was born and bred there. At the age of 
sixteen he began teaching. In the spring of 1881 he entered the ranks 
of the traveling salesman and followed that occupation until January 1, 
1896. He had married Miss Ida Jessup, daughter of John Jessup of 
bigourney, on September 19, 1894, and henceforward that city became 
his home. In January, 1896, husband and wife went to Iowa City, where 
both entered the law department of the University of Iowa. They grad- 



130 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

uated in June, 1897, and were together admitted to the bar that same 
month. They returned to Sigourney and Mr. Ashcraft at once opened 
a law office and began practicing, being ably assisted by his wife, who 
is a practical stenographer and who does the office and reference work 
with precision and ability. Mrs. Ashcraft formerly taught school for 
a number of years. She and her husband are members of the Presby- 
terian church. 

Mr. Ashcraft is certainly one of the rising young men of this coun- 
ty; as an indication we mention his recent election to the office of county 
attorney; in 1898 the Republican party nominated him for the office but 
he was defeated. His party has had such confidence in his ability and 
merit that they renominated him in 1900 and this time with success, and 
he was renominated by acclamation in 1902. He is filling the position 
with honor to his party and credit to himself, and without doubt there is 
much in store for this ambitious and honorable young man. 

FRED D. STROHMANN. 

One of the progressive and successful farmers and old settlers of 
Keokuk county, Iowa, is Fred D. Strohmann, who has been one of the 
important factors in the agricultural development of German town- 
ship, where in section 7 he owns a fine farm of one hundred and seventy- 
one acres. By birth and ancestry Mr. Strohmann is German, his par- 
ents Diederich and Doretta (Buckhous) Strohmann being natives of 
Hanover. Germany, where he also was born on September 26, 1848. 

Diederich Strohmann was born in 1819 and served for six years in 
the German army, three years as a volunteer. He married and brought 
his wife and four children with him to America, in 1856. landing at New 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 133 

Orleans. Following the Mississippi they finally landed in Iowa and at 
once located in Keokuk county, on section 5, in German township. Ik-re 
Mr. Strohmann died in 1884, but his widow still survives at the age of 
eighty-four years. 

Our subject was the eldest of the family of children born to his par- 
ents and was eight years of age when they came to Keokuk county. 1 1 is 
primary education in the German schools has been very thorough and 
lie was not able to add much to his knowledge of books in the little log 
schoolhouse in German township, for in those times the hours of work 
were early and continued long. The land was unimproved and he was 
needed to assist in its clearing and cultivating. Until his marriage on 
October 21, 1870.. to Christine Yoltmer, he remained at home. Mrs. 
Strohmann was born August 13, 185 1, in a little log cabin on the farm 
which is now the family home. She is the eldest of fourteen children 
and has lived her whole life in German township. Her father David 
Voltmer was a pioneer in this county of 1846. 

Mr. and Mrs. Strohmann after marriage located on this farm, and for 
two years lived in a log cabin, erecting then the handsome, modern resi- 
dence which is now the comfortable family home. This contains ten 
rooms and is fitted up with taste and regard to comfort. The thirteen 
children of our subject and wife were born here and all survive with 
three exceptions, — Fred, Edward and Ella. The others are : Deitrick, a 
prominent farmer of this county; Minnie, a popular teacher for eight 
years, educated at Highland College, Dixon, Illinois; Matilda, the wife 
of Albert Blaise, a prominent fanner of German township ; Dora, the 
wife of Louis Goldner, a prominent farmer of Clear Creek township; 
Sophia, a graduate of the Sigourney high school, a successful teacher; 
and Lucy, David, Lewis, Walter and Mable, at home. 



134 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Strohmann has long been regarded as one of the most pros- 
perous farmers of the county, and is also one of its most intelligent and 
progressive men. Formerly a Republican, he has in later years been 
identified with the Democratic party and was its candidate for super- 
visor, running far beyond his ticket on account of public confidence. He 
has always been a leader in all movements looking to the best interests 
of German township and is one of the most substantial as well as reliable 
and upright citizens of this section of the county. Almost all of his 
life has been devoted to the advancement of this locality and it is a matter 
of comment that some of the best educated and most influential citizens 
have been born and reared in this vicinity. 



CURTIS G. JOHNSTON. 

Among those of this county who are prominent in the legal profes- 
sion we mention Curtis G. Johnston of Sigourney. Although he had 
the advantages of a college training, his advancement is due largely to 
his own efforts and private study. He was born on a farm in Jefferson 
county, Ohio, June 17, 1837. His father, William, was the son of John 
Johnston, a native of Ireland and one of the very early settlers of Jeffer- 
son county, Ohio. It is very probable that William was born in the 
Buckeye state. He was a carpenter by trade but also engaged in farm- 
ing and in connection therewith operated a saw and grist-mill. He mar- 
ried twice; by his first wife he had three children, and he had several 
more by the second wife, who was the mother of Curtis. She was boin 
in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and traced her ancestry back to 
one Hugh Scott, a native of Scotland. Her maiden name was Rosanna 
Todd. She and her husband were members of the Protestant Meth- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 135 

odist church. William Johnston belonged to the Whigs. Both he and 
his wife died in Ohio. 

After finishing the common school Curtis Johnston attended a col- 
lege in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. He taught school several terms and 
then went west, arriving at Davenport, January 13, 1858. He secured 
a clerical position in a law office at that city, and thus his law studies 
began. In March, 1859, he was admitted to the bar upon examination 
before Judge John F. Dillon. In April of the same year he left Daven- 
port, returned to Ohio, entered a law office, continued his studies and 
in January, i860, was admitted to the bar of Ohio. He opened an office 
in Steubenville, but soon after left for Washington, D. C, where he 
secured a position in the treasury department under Secretary Chase. 
He held the position four years. In September, 1867, he went west un- 
der leave of absence, visited Sigourney and decided to locate in that city. 
He resigned his position at Washington and moved to Sigourney Decem- 
ber 16, 1867. He opened a law office and has continued his practice 
ever since. Mr. Johnston is not an office seeker; he belongs in the ranks 
1 )f the Republican party. 

On February 26, 1867, Mr. Johnston married Hannah Updegraft 
in Ohio; she is a native of that state. They have four children : Edward 
A., an attorney-at-law ; Josiah M., a physician at Des Moines, Iowa: 
Zella. wife of S. Carl Ouinby. of Des Moines; and Thomas K., who 
lives at home. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are members of the Adventist 
church. In the summer of 1864 Mr. Johnston joined a party of volun- 
teers in the noble service of the hospital corps. They cared for the 
sick and wounded through the campaign of the Wilderness under the sur- 
geon general of the United States army. 



136 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

A. G. BROWN. 

Abner Gregg Brown was one of the founders of this county. His 
unexcelled business ability, his progressive spirit and public mindedness 
made him one of the moving forces of the community. He was born 
near Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in October, 1823. In 1S33 his parents 
moved to Xenia, Greene county, Ohio. Abner's early training was 
that of the farm and common country school. At Xenia he held a 
clerical position for a mercantile house and became the station agent 
for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In 1855 he came to Iowa, settling 
in Sigourney and engaging in the general merchandise business fur a 
number of years. When the increasing business of the city demanded 
a local bank, A. G. Brown was among the first to arrange for the or- 
ganization of the First National Bank. He became one of the directors 
and continued in that office for years. He purchased land near the 
southeast limits of the. town, engaged extensively in stock raising and 
met with such success in all his business enterprises that he became the 
owner of eleven hundred acres of fine land. He was a member of the 
Republican party and for years served on the school board of Sigourney. 
He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 

In 1862 he married Miss Etta Yerger, a native of Pennsylvania. 
She died in 1880 at the age of forty-three. Abner G. Brown died in 
Sigourney March 13, 1890. They had two children : Harry G. and Ber- 
nice A., wife of W. G Jordan of Ottumwa, Iowa. 

Harry G Brown was born in Sigourney, December 29, 1865. He 
was reared and educated in his native city and in 1893 he married Miss 
Grace G. Harlan. Mr. Brown has gone into the business of stock rais- 
in"- and in that line is proving himself a worthy successor to his father. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 137 

He is a Republican in politics. Fraternally he belongs to the Knight 
Templar Masons and is a Shriner of the Kaaba Temple at Davenport. 

JOHX HOGE. 

The close of the great Civil War marked the beginning of an unpre- 
cedented emigration to the west, the spirit of unrest seeming to affect 
all classes of society, but being especially strong among the agricul- 
turists. Iowa's fertile prairies and shaded woodlands proved an irresist- 
ible attraction to the larger number of these homeseekers and the young 
state Mas soon the scene of an enormous activity. 

The honored name which appears at the head of this sketch is a 
familiar one to residents of Keokuk county, for though his life was 
passed in the traditional peace and quiet of the Quaker, John Hoge, by 
his consistent and upright Christian life, and his fair dealings with 
friend and neighbor, made for himself a lasting monument in their 
affections. His death, in 1900, was a distinct loss to the people among 
whom he spent his life. 

Mr. Hoge was born in Belmont county. Ohio, in 1820. His par- 
ents, William and Sarah (Wright) Hoge, were early settlers in the 
Uuckeye 'State, being Pennsylvanians by birth. They were of that sturdy 
class of pioneers which early made Ohio famed in song and story, and 
the)' lie buried in the state of their adoption. Three boys and the same 
number of girls composed the family they reared. At the age of 
twenty-two years John Hoge was united in marriage to Lydia Bran- 
son, a native of the same county. She passed to rest but a few months 
prior to her husband, aged seventy-eight years. To them a family 
ol nine children were born, three of whom died in infancy. They lived 



138 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in Belmont county until 1865, when removal was made to Prairie town- 
ship, Keokuk county, where for many years Mr. Hoge was a successful 
farmer. He and his wife were of the Quaker faith, exemplifying its 
beautiful tenets in their daily lives. While a strong Republican in poli- 
tics, Mr. Hoge had no taste for official life. 

Smith B. Hoge was the third son of this family and was born in 
Belmont county. Ohio, May 14, 1852. He was a wide-awake lad when 
the family removed to the west, and as he grew to manhood contributed 
much to his father's success by his manly qualities. The ordinary coun- 
try school education was supplemented by a course at Penn College, 
Oskaloosa, after which he returned to the farm and began the battle of 
life for himself. Until 1895 Mr. Hoge cultivated his farm exclusively, 
following in his father's footsteps and establishing for himself a repu- 
tation for absolute honesty and integrity. In this year the Repub- 
lican party, attracted by the solid character of the man, selected him 
for a place on the ticket as county treasurer, to which office he was 
easily elected. Two years later he was again successful and at the close 
of his four years' service turned the office over to his successor without 
the loss of a penny. Mr. Hoge did not return to the farm but bought an 
interest in- a clothing business in Sigourney, where he is now en- 
gaged, the firm name being Hoge & Kadel. , 

Mr. Hoge was married in 1875. Eliza Mead, his wife, is a native 
of Ohio, the daughter of Oscar and Catherine (Crouder) Mead, also 
pioneer settlers of Keokuk county. They have three children — Marie, 
Sidwell and Anna. Mr. and Mrs. Hoge are members of the Methodist 
church, he being also a chapter Mason. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 139 

WILLIAM PFANNEBECKER, M. D. 

The medical fraternity of Keokuk county has an active and honored 
member in the gentleman named above. He is proud to date his birth 
among the solid farming element of the count}-, the time being May 31, 
1S63, his parents, Henry and Eva (Hofmann) Pfannebecker, of whom 
mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Dr. Pfannebecker passed the 
life of the average country boy, securing a rudimentary education in the 
schools of his neighborhood, and later attending an academy in Iowa 
City. For a period of four years following he taught country schools in 
his home county with success. During the last year he formally began 
preparation for his life work by beginning the reading of medicine with 
Dr. W. A. Dorman, of Sigourney. Selecting Missouri Medical College, 
of St. Louis, he continued his studies, and in 1891 finished the course. 
He immediately began practice of his profession in Sigourney and has 
more than realized the expectations of his friends by the splendid char- 
acter of his work. The Doctor is a close student of his profession, and 
has supplemented his former course by post graduate work at his alma 
mater. He is a Republican in politics, and a worthy member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Miss Margaret Hensler, of Monroe 
county, Missouri, became Mrs. Pfannebecker in 1891, and their home is 
brightened by the presence of two lovely children. 

CHARLES A. NAUMAN. 

There must be something ennobling in the life of the agriculturist, 
else why does urban society recruit so largely from the ranks of country- 
bred men and women? In these latter days, when so many prove vic- 
tims to the allurements of city life, and forswear the place of their birth 



140 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and rearing, it is refreshing to record the life of a man who lived out the 
measure of his days on the farm, proud always to be known as one of 
the "sons of toil." 

Charles A. Nauman (deceased) was born in Saxony, Germany, Janu- 
ary 29, 1833. After passing nearly a lifetime in the old country, his 
parents emigrated with their family to America, Charles A. being at that 
time twenty years of age. Another son and three daughters made up 
the family, two of whom now live in Sigourney. This family came 
direct to Keokuk county and settled on a farm in Clear Creek township, 
where the parents contiued to reside until their death. 

Charles A. Nauman was of that thrifty class of Germans who 
give solid strength to any community in which they may settle.. His 
parents had given him a liberal education in the fatherland, even adding 
the accomplishment of speaking the English language. When he came to 
America he was therefore better equipped than the average foreigner, 
and he was not alone proficient in the spoken language, but wielded a 
facile pen as well. During his lifetime he was a frequent and valued 
correspondent for the local press. Following the custom of middle-class 
Germans his parents had apprenticed him to a trade, and he was pos- 
sessed of a good knowledge of blacksmithing as a result. 

When the war for the preservation of the Union began, Mr. Nau- 
man was one of the first to offer his services, becoming a private in Com- 
pany F, Eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which he served for a year. 
The rigors of army life were too great, however, and a chronic weakness 
of the throat developing into bronchitis, as a result of which he secured 
his discharge. It was this disease, together with other complications, 
which finally caused his death in February of 1893. In 1863 Mr. Nau- 
man married Miss Marv Goeldner, daughter of John G. Goeldner, who 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 141 

has mention elsewhere in this volume. To the union eight children were 
horn, all now living but one. 

Mr. Emil D. Xauman, eldest son of the above, was born in Keokuk 
county, December 19, 1864. He was given a liberal education in the 
common schools and at Iowa City Academy and Commercial College. 
For five years thereafter he taught successfully in the schools of the 
county and for several years engaged in farming, but is now a book- 
keeper. Air. Xauman is quite active in Republican circles, his first en- 
trance into politics being in 1895, when he was elected assessor of Prairie 
township, and also the following year. In 1900 he was selected to take 
the census of Prairie township. In school affairs he has always taken 
a keen interest and has served as secretary of the school board of his 
district for five years. In 1890 he was married to Miss Emma Goodman, 
of Keokuk county, who has borne him one child, a daughter, named An- 
na. Since January, 1902, the family have resided in Sigourney. 

GEORGE L. BARTOW. 

A school man of unquestioned ability, both in the schoolroom as 
principal and in official life as superintendent of Keokuk county schools ; 
an honored member of the newspaper fraternity, fearless and able as an 
advocate of Democratic principles; a lawyer of undoubted ability; and 
above all, a gentleman ! George L. Bartow receives and merits the con- 
fidence and esteem of a very large circle of Keokuk county citizens. The 
family of which Air. Bartow is an honored member dates back to the 
time of the French Huguenots, those fearless disseminators of civil and 
religious liberty, whose progeny inherit to a large extent their sterling 
qualities. Our subject takes the name of his grandfather Bartow (the 



142 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

French spelling of which was Barteau), who lived in Harrison county, 
Ohio, from an early day until 185 1, when he settled his family in Jeffer- 
son county, Iowa. 

George P. Bartow, the father of our present subject, was born in 
Ohio and educated in the New Market Academy. To this literary founda- 
tion he added a course in medicine at the John M. Scudder Eclectic Med- 
ical College, of Cincinnati. He engaged in the practice of his profes- 
sion in Jefferson county, Iowa, until 1880, whe he removed to Richland, 
Keokuk county, where he lived until the time of his decease, in 1885. 
He was a physician of fine attainments and a man who was very suc- 
cessful in his business ventures. At the time of his death he had accum- 
ulated a comfortable competence. He was not covetous of political pre- 
ferment, but always stood for what was best in the Democratic party. 
He was a member of the Masonic fraternity, of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, of the Knights of Pythias, and both he and Mrs. Bartow 
who still survives him, were faithful and consistent members of the Meth- 
odist church. I nto his marriage were born four children, as follows: 
Albert C, Sigourney; George L. ; Alpheus M., dry goods merchant of 
Sigourney ; Mary J., deceased. 

The literary education of the subject of this review was obtained in 
the country schoolhouse and the Pleasant Plains Academy, where he 
was graduated in 1886. For a period of fourteen consecutive terms Mr. 
Bartow then gave his attention to disseminating knowledge in the school- 
room, a period in which he demonstrated conclusively .that he not only 
had the knowledge, but the ability to impart it to others — not always co- 
existent. His success was such in the schoolroom that when his political 
party needed the attraction of an unusually strong name they found it in 
that of George L. Bartow, and for two successive terms he served 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 143 

acceptably the school interests of the county. While in the schoolroom 
he was principal successively at Thornburg, Richland and Martinsburg. 
His residence at Richland was also the date of a year's experience with 
Uncle Sam, he having served that period as postmaster. At the close of 
his service as superintendent of schools Mr. Bartow secured control of 
the Sigourney Review and for three years thereafter the Democratic 
party of the county and state had an organ upon which it could depend 
for the faithful exposition of its most cherished principles, while the 
people were given a paper which fearlessly printed the news, without 
equivocation. Previous to his election to the office of county superin- 
tendent of schools he served for two years in the United States railway 
mail service. 

During his public life as superintendent and editor Mr. Bartow had 
become much interested in the law as a profession, and it was therefore 
a comparatively easy matter for him to enter upon its practice, which he 
did after passing a brilliant examination at the local bar. During (fhe 
comparatively short period of activity in the profession he has demon- 
strated that the human mind, at least some human minds, are of so 
facile a nature as to do many diverse things equally well. His standing 
at the bar is without question, and he is rapidly building up a splendid 
practice. It is probably unnecessary to state that Mr. Bartow is a simon- 
pure, uncompromising Democrat. He is affiliated with the order of 
Odd Fellows and he and his family are communicants of the Methodist 
church. Mr. Bartow was joined in wedlock to Miss Belle Pfaff, of 
Sigourney. Two children, Vora S. and Vera A-, have come to add 
delight to their pleasant home. 



144 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

CAP E. MILLER. 

The welfare of any community depends on the number of strong 
young men it can muster. Old men for wisdom ; but it takes the elastic 
energy and fire of youth to carry great projects through. Old men 
think ; young men act. And, though it be true that young men may act 
without sufficient thought, yet even failure, with strength and a will to 
do again, discounts the conservative halting of old age. Keokuk county 
has a goodly stock of these young men, alert, active, awake to the prob- 
abilities and possibilities of life, and keeping the car of progress in the 
van of the procession. Many of these are worthy sons of well-to-do 
sires, equipped at their expense for the battle of life, while others have 
fought their way to success by their own unaided personal effort. Of 
this latter class is the subject of this article. At an age when most young 
men are just beginning to take life seriously, he is superintendent of 
schools of Keokuk county. 

Cap Miller was born and reared to man's estate on a farm in En- 
glish River township, one of a family of nine children. The education 
he received in the country school served but to whet the boy's appetite for 
something broader and deeper. The parents, though willing to sacrifice 
much for their son's advancement, were able to help but little and do 
justice to the other members of their large family, and he was thus 
thrown upon his own resources. Such a state of affairs, however, did 
not dampen the ardor of the youth ; indeed, it but challenged the spirit of 
self-help which had been lying dormant, and led him to resolve that he 
would secure the object of his desires, come what may. The way 
opened for him, as it had for others of like mind before, through the 
arduous work of the schoolroom. Teaching one season and attending 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 145 

the next constituted his life for several years. After two years at Hed- 
rick Normal, he matriculated in the Iowa State Normal, from which 
excellent institution he graduated in 1901. Even before graduating 
from the State Normal Mr. Miller had won an enviable reputation as -vn 
educator. Here his worth was immediately recognized by President 
Seerley, and he was frequently sent to take temporary charge of schools 
throughout the state in the absence of superintendents and principals, an 
honor which came to no one not fully deserving, as the reputation of the 
State Normal was at stake. 

Prior to graduating from the State Normal, Professor Miller took 
charge of the Millersburg schools, and the two years of his incumbency 
were marked by thorough organization and effective class work. Upon 
graduation he was offered the principalship of the DeSoto schools, and 
accepting, he taught until the holidays, when he resigned to enter upon 
the duties of his present office, to which he had been elected on the Demo- 
cratic ticket, over a strong man on the Republican ticket, and this in a 
Republican county. Since that time this office has felt the rejuvenating 
effect of his master hand, the school system of Keokuk county never 
having been on a better basis than at the present day. 

The family of which Mr. Miller is a member still resides in South 
English. The parents, David Wesley and Margaret (McWilliams) 
Miller, are natives of the Buckeye state, having come to Iowa in early 
life. They belong to the substantial farming element and are regarded 
as among the best citizens of the county. 

JOSIAH UTTERBACK. 

Josiah Utterback has lived in Sigourney since 1892. He was born 
on a farm in Johnson county, Indiana, May 15, 1834. His parents were 



146 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Corbin and Sarah (Hanks) Utterback, both natives of Kentucky anil 
early settlers of Johnson county, Indiana. In 1850 they came to Keokuk 
county, Iowa, settling on a farm about three miles southeast of Sigour- 
ney. They lived there until their death; the mother passing away at 
the age of seventy-one and the father when nearly ninety-four years old. 
Of their twelve children nine are living, of which number Josiah is the 
eldest. Corbin Utterback was a successful farmer and extensive stock 
raiser. He belonged to the Democratic party. 

Josiah received only a common school education and most of his 
life has been devoted to farming and stock raising. In 1853 he married 
Frances Dyer, a native of Johnson county, Indiana, and by this union 
they became the parents of eight children. At the time of his marriage 
Mr. Utterback moved to a farm in Lancaster township, this county, and 
here he made his home until 1892. He was one of the organizers of the 
Sigourney Savings Bank and became its first president. Through a 
period of ten years he has directed the bank's affairs with the utmost care 
and success, and he has been retained at its head to the present time. 
Mr. Utterback is still interested in farming and still engages in the 
buying and selling of stock. Some time along in the eighties, he was 
made treasurer of Keokuk county. He has also taken an interest in 
public affairs and found the Democratic principles such as he could best 
accept. 

ELLIOTT UTTERBACK. 

Elliott Utterback has long been a resident of Lancaster township, 
Keokuk county, Iowa, and was born in Johnson county, Indiana, April 
14, 1842, son of Corbin and Sarah (Hanks) Utterback. His father's 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 14? 

history is recorded in the personal sketch of Josiah Utterback, elsewhere 
in this work. Mr. Utterback was the seventh child and fourth son and 
was about eight years old at his coming to Keokuk county. He was 
educated in the district school of Lancaster township and assisted his 
father on the farm. In 1859, when in his eighteenth year he lost a leg, 
but notwithstanding he has had a successful career. He owns a fine, 
well improved farm of two hundred acres. 

On December 14, 1869, he married Olive Beall, who was born in 
Holmes county, Ohio, March 15, 1847. Her father was Brooklyn Beall, 
a native of Maryland, and an early settler in Holmes county, Ohio, where 
he died at the age of forty-three. Her mother was Mary Ann Siga- 
foos; sheas burn in Pennsylvania, came when a small girl to Ohio and 
later, in 1865, came to Keokuk county, where she died in her seventy- 
eighth year. She was the mother of eleven children, of whom Mrs. 
Utterback was the eighth. The latter was seventeen years old when 
she came to Keokuk county. Mr. and Mrs. Utterback located at the 
west end of Lancaster township. They were the parents of five sons : 
Lester C, married Julia Pennington, of Lancaster; Vernon D., the hus- 
band of Maud Jacobs, of Lancaster; S. Curtis, who married Florence 
Gladfelter and resides in Lancaster; Chelley C, married Artie Long and 
lives in Lancaster; and Elver C, at home, assisting on his father's home. 

Mr. Utterback holds membership in the Christian church at Lan- 
caster and is one of its trustees. In politics he is a Democrat. He is 
one of the substantial old settlers of the county and has been actively 
interested in all the affairs pertaining to the advancement of the com- 
munity. 



148 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

HARMON HENKLE. 

The fitting reward of a well spent life is retirement from labor and 
a period of rest in which to enjoy the fruits of former toil. This has 
been vouchsafed to Mr. Henkle, who is now living in Keota — a town 
in which he has been a very important factor as a promoter of many 
lines of progress and improvement contributing to the general good. 
He was born in Fayette county. Ohio, April 7, 1832, and is a son 0/ 
George W. Henkle. The grandfather also bore the name of George 
Henkle. The former, a native of Virginia, was a farmer by occupa- 
tion and came westward to Iowa in 1840, settled in Washington county. 
where he entered land from the government and improved a farm, mak- 
ing his home thereon for many years. He died, however, in Keokuk 
county, Iowa, at the advanced age of eighty-three years. His political 
support was given to the Whig party until its dissolution, when he 
joined the ranks of the Republican party, which was then formed, and 
marched under its banners throughout his remaining days. He was 
honored by his fellow townsmen with a number of local offices and was 
a consistent member of the Episcopal church. His wife, who bore the 
maiden name of Polly Bush, died in Washington county, Iowa, when 
the subject of this review was about sixteen years of age. 

Harmon Henkle was the second child in his father's family and 
was eight years of age when he came with them to Iowa. He was 
reared and educated in Washington county, pursuing his studies in a 
log schoolhouse there such as was common at that time. After arriv- 
ing- at the age of maturity he was married in Washington county in 
1854 to Lvdia J. Wartenbee, a native of Ohio, who came in early girl- 
hood to Iowa. To this marriage were born five children ; three of whom 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 149 

are living': Ella, now the wife of E. M. Richey. of Keota; Watson D., 
who married Emma Hunter and is a farmer of Van Buren county; and 
Clara, the wife of E. E. Bowers, a general merchant of Keota, carrying- 
on business as a member of the firm of Bowers & Sanders. 

After his marriage Mr. Henkle located in Richmond, Washington 
county, where he followed carpentering until about 1859, "hen he re- 
moved to Iowa county. There he engaged in farming for two years 
and in the spring of 1861 took up his abode at a place which has since 
been called Henkletown, trading his farm property for a saw-mill 
there. He was then engaged in the manufacture of lumber until the 
close of the war and in the meantime he also turned his attention to 
general merchandising, which he followed successfully until his removal 
to Keota. In 187 J this town was laid out and Mr. Henkle became one of 
its first merchants, erecting the second or third building of the place. 
He and his partner removed their stock of goods from Henkletown 
and conducted a general store in Keota until 1886, and in addition 
carried on an extensive lumber business under the firm name of Henkle. 
Littler & Company. This partnership was maintained for several 
years. About 1886 our subject purchased a third interest in a steam 
grist-mill at Keota and carried on general merchandising in connection 
with his milling interests, his enterprise contributing materially to the 
upbuilding and substantial improvement of the town. In August, 1891, 
he removed his mill to Weiser, Washington county, Idaho, where he 
conducted business until July, 1899, when he sold his interest in the 
mill and returned to Keokuk county, Iowa. Mr. Henkle has also 
been a factor in agricultural interests here, owning and operating a farm 
in Lafayette township, adjoining Keota. He became interested in bank- 
ing: affairs here as one of the stockholders of the Keota Bank, which in 



150 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

1899 was merged into the State Bank. Of this institution he has been 
the vice-president for many years and its successful conduct is due in 
no small degree to his efforts. He has valuable property in the town 
and in all his business affairs has met with creditable success. His 
prosperity is due entirely to his own efforts and as the architect of his 
fortunes he has builded wisely and well. 

Mr. Henkle is known as a prominent and exemplary Mason, be- 
longing to Adelphi Lodge No. 333, Free and Accepted Masons. His 
connection with the fraternity dates from 1863. He was treasurer of 
the lodge in Greene township, Iowa county, and in his life shows forth 
the helpful and benevolent spirit of the craft. He is also member and 
one of the trustees of the Baptist church. Since the days of the Civil 
war he has been a staunch Republican in his political views and has 
held a number of local offices in his township. No man has taken 
a more active or helpful interest in Keota than has the subject of this 
review, who has wrought along the lines of the greatest good to the 
greatest number. His business affairs have been not only a source of 
revenue to himself, but have also contributed to the general prosperity, 
and in many other ways he has aided in the progress and improvement 
of this section of the state. Patriotism may well be termed one of 
the keynotes of his character and among Keokuk county's valued citizens 
he deserves honorable mention. 



A. J. ULIN. 

A. J. Ulin, one of the enterprising farmers and early settlers of 
Keokuk county, is a native of the Buckeye state, his birth having oc- 
curred in Hardin county, Ohio, on the 27th of December, 1843. His 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 151 

father, A. J. Ulin, was a native of Ohio, and in the year 1849 came to 
Iowa, settling in Keokuk county, where he engaged in the milling busi- 
ness, following that pursuit for about twelve years prior to his death. 
He was married in his native state to Miss Elizabeth Obenour, wdio was 
horn in Stark county, Ohio, and they became the parents of sixteen 
children, twelve sons and four daughters, of whom three sons and one 
daughter are vet living, namely: A. J., of this review; William \\\. 
of Seattle, Washington; John C, of Warren township; and Sarah, the 
wife of Terame Shadwick. The mother of these children is still living 
at the advanced age of eighty-four years and now makes her home 
with her son John. The father was at one time a member of the 
Masonic fraternity and in his life exemplified its beneficent and helpful 
spirit. His political support was always given to the Democracy and 
he was a devoted and faithful member of the Christian church. 

Mr. Ulin, of this review, spent his early childhood days in his native 
state and with his parents came to Iowa when about seven years of age. 
He lived at home until he had attained the age of twenty-three and 
early became familiar with the work of the fields. From the time that 
he could handle the plow he assisted in the cultivation of the crops. 
He was married in May, 1864, to Samaria J. Wilcox, who was born 
in Indiana, but was reared in Iowa, her father, Ephriam Wilcox, hav- 
ing been one of the early pioneer settlers of Keokuk county. The 
home of Mr. and Mrs. Ulin has been blessed with ten sons and two 
daughters, namely : Mary E., who is deceased ; Andrew E. ; John T. ; 
Alfred, deceased ; Elmer ; James W. ; George R., deceased ; Jesse L. ; 
Cora, the wife of Nason Lisk, of Warren township; Clyde; Walter, 
deceased : and Arthur. All of the children were born in Keokuk county. 



154 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

They were provided with good educational privileges and have been a 
credit to their parents. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Ulin purchased the farm upon which 
he now resides, and it has since been his home. It comprises two 
hundred and forty acres of land under a high state of cultivation. He 
raises the cereals best adapted to the soil and climate, and annually 
the products of his fields return to him a good income. He belongs to 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and formerly he was identi- 
fied with Keota lodge, but at the present time his membership is in 
Chicago Lodge No. 385, of Delta. He indorses the political views 
which are embodied in the platform of the Democratic party and he 
is a member of the Christian church. His life has ever been an honor- 
able and upright one. and though quietly passed, his example is well 
worthy of emulation because he lias always been found loyal to the 
truth and to the right. 



GEORGE OLDENBURG. 

On March 29, 1901, there died at his farm residence in German 
township, a gentleman who was for long years connected with the devel- 
opment of Keokuk county, and in whose death the county suffered a 
severe loss. There have been few residents in this portion of Iowa who 
have enjoyed in a greater degree the esteem and friendship of a larger 
circle of friends than George Oldenburg. He was a man of sterling- 
worth, of genial disposition and of unfailing courtesy, and these qualities 
rendered him popular, while his sterling character enabled him to retain 
friendship when gained. 

Mr. Oldenburg was a native of the fatherland, where he was born in 




GEORGE OLDENBURG AND FAMILY. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 155 

Landesbergen, Hanover, May 15, [843, son of Frederick and Wjlhel- 
tnina (Bakehaus) Oldenburg. His parents lived and died in Germany. 
They had three children, viz.. Henry of Oklahoma; George and Char- 
lotte, of Hampton, Iowa, the last two being twins. The mother was 
the father's second wife, his first wife being a sister of the second. By 
the first marriage there were the following children: Diedrick, deceased; 
Wilhelmina, deceased; Louise, of Sigourney ; Caroline, deceased; Fred- 
rick, deceased ; Dorethe, of Sigourney ; Frederick, of Germany ; and 
Sophie, of Sigourney. He passed his boyhood and youth in 
the old country, where he received the excellent education which the Ger- 
man people insist on giving to their children, and on arriving at matur- 
ity he, in 1864. came to America. He settled immediately in Keokuk coun- 
ty, where for a period he worked by the month. His habits of thrift 
and economy were such as to enable him to save a portion of his wages, 
with which in 1873 he bought the farm where his widow now resides. 
The farm was of primitive soil, and presented a very different appear- 
ance from what it does now after years of cultivation under a master 
hand. The original purchase was of eighty acres, to which he added 
at different times until it was increased to one hundred and seventy-four. 
All of the improvements on this valuable farm were made by Mr. Olden- 
burg. In political faith Mr. Oldenburg voted with the Democratic party 
until 1896, at which time he transferred his allegiance to the Republican 
party. As stated before, he was a man of sterling integrity, a kind hus- 
band, and a good father. Mrs. Oldenburg's maiden name was Anna 
Bruns. She was the daughter of John H. and Elizabeth (Harmeling) 
Bruns and was born in Herzogthum Brunswick, Germany, on the 19th 
of August, 1853. Mrs. Oldenburg was one of a family of three chil- 
dren, two daughters and one son. The son and both of the parents died 



156 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

in the old country. The sister married Mr. H. F. Duensing, of this 
county, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Olden- 
burg is the youngest child of the family and came to America with her 
sister in 1867. She married Mr. Oldenburg in 1873, and became the 
mother of eight children: Minnie A., deceased; George F., who lives 
in Kansas; Doris L. ; Adelheid M. ; Louise D. ; Augusta A. M. ; Frederick 
II., deceased; and Charlotte A. Minnie A. died when an infant, and 
Frederick when nearly ten years old. Since the death of Mr. Olden- 
burg Mrs. Oldenburg continues the conduct of the farm, and is making 
a brave fight to educate her children to make them worthy and respectable 
citizens. She is lady of many fine traits of character, of good business 
judgment, and merits the highest esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. 

BENJAMIN F. CROCKER. 

There are few states in the Union more favored than Iowa. She 
has splendid natural resources that have yielded rich returns for the 
labor of men of energetic purpose, who realize that work is the key 
that causes the portals to swing wide open for prosperity. The natural 
advantages of this section of Iowa attracted at an early day a supe- 
rior class of settlers, thrifty, industrious and law-abiding, whose influ- 
ence pave permanent direction to the development of the new locality. 
They founded homes and established families, whose representatives are 
now well known among the substantial residents of the commonwealth. 
Belonging to the latter class is Squire Benjamin F. Crocker, justice of 
the peace and notary public, residing in the beautiful little city of 
Martinsburg. Squire Crocker is a native of Indiana, wdiere he was 
born in Franklin county, October 2, 1821. 

Benjamin Crocker, his father, was a New Englander by birth. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 157 

where lie was reared to manhood and married in die state of Massa- 
chusetts. About the year 1S10 lie emigrated to Indiana, and estab- 
lished himself in Franklin count)'. In his younger days he was a 
shoemaker by trade, and he continued this business in connection with 
the clearing up of his farm in Franklin county. Here he lived out 
a long life of usefulness and died at the age of seventy-five years. 
The grandfather of our subject was also Benjamin, he having been 
the original American ancestor who emigrated from England. On 
the maternal side Mr. Crocker remembers less concerning his family, 
his mother, Elizabeth Bourne, having died when he was but three 
years old. It is known, however, that they were early settlers in 
Massachusetts. Mr. Crocker's father was twice married. To the first 
marriage six children were born and to the second there were three 
children, the Squire being the fourth child of the first marriage. 

He was reared in his native county in the Hoosier state and re- 
ceived a fairly good education in the common schools of his district. 
He remained at home until he was sixteen, when he was apprenticed 
to the blacksmith trade. In the severe labor of this trade he was 
engaged for the apprentice period of three years. In all he was en- 
gaged in this business twenty-five years of his life, during which time 
he made the reputation of being one of the best workers in iron in the 
community. Squire Crocker married in Franklin county, Indiana. 
February 4, 1840, Miss Elizabeth Cassadav. who was a native of 
New Jersey. She became the mother of eight children, four of whom 
are now living: Thomas, the eldest son, lives in Washington state; 
Harry lives in Martinsburg and is at the present time postmaster of 
the city; Sumner resides in Kansas; Patricia is the widow of John 
Behm. now residing in Martinsburg. The mother of this family died 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

May : - establishing 

himself in 1 ued in Decatur county. Indiana. 

1 also in agriculture in connection with his blacksmithing. In 

the ye- '.on the great wave of emigration that se 

±tled i;i 
.ocating east of Martinsburg. Here he engaged in 
gand blacksmithing. earning on the business until 1861. 
He had been an interested participant in tlie discussion of the ques- 
hich had threj.: and his inherent patriotism was 

rop all consideration of business and tender his 

services in sustaining the country in lays. He enlisted in 

,va Cavalry, as a private soldier, in which 

he served until 1864. having been promoted to the office of 

the meantime for meritorious conduct. His 

militar ^een in the west with the guerillas, among 

:es. He served for a period of 
eceiving his honorable discharge. Mr. 
Crocker returned to his home, where he continued in the bus:: 
farming for a period. He then started the first hardware L . 
which had ever been conducted in Martinsburg. and which he continued 

terest to his son. 
_ ;een years Squire Crocker has been the honored jus 
of the peace and notary public in Martinsburg, and during that time 
has been prominently identified with the public life of the county. In 
rts the principle !n and is proud to be 

rs of that party in the fifties. Frater 
- and is a charter member of the fir--. 
started in Martin si I of fiftv years he has been earnest 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 159 

and devoted in his adherence to the principles and faith of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church, being at the present time one of its trustees. 
The career of Squire Crocker has been one of marked activity and use- 
fulness, and demonstrates the possibilities of labor in America, wnere 
opportunity is not hampered by caste or class. His energy has been 
the foundation of his success, and on it he has erected the superstructure 
of a comfortable competence. He is a highly esteemed resident of 
Martinsburg. and as such we gladly give him representation in thi.3 
volume. 



CHARLES F. KENDALL. 

From an early epoch in the development of Keokuk county Charles 

F. Kendall has made his home here and is now well known as a leading 
and successful farmer of Warren township. He was born in Mon- 
mouth, Warren county, Illinois, August 4, 1842. His father. Francis 

G. Kendall, was a native of Pennsylvania, horn in 1S11. He spent his 
early childhood there and acquired his education in the public schools, 
remaining with his parents until he had attained his majority. When 
a young man he emigrated westward to Warren county. Illinois, an I 
was married in Monmouth to Jane E. Merrifield. a native of Ohio, who 
spent her girlhood days in Cincinnati. They became the parents of 
seven children, three sons and four daughters, and of this number two 
daughters and a son are yet living. The family record is as follows: 
Selurus W.. deceased; Louisa Jane; Charles F. ; Clark A., deceased; 
Sarah Adelaide, deceased; Mary E. ; and Emma A... deceased. The 
last two were twins. It was in the year [844 that the father of these 
children came to Iowa, settling first at Grand View, Louisa count). 



160 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

where he remained until 1856. He then removed to Keokuk county, 
locating on a farm of two hundred and thirty acres, which he pur- 
chased. It was raw prairie land at that time, but soon his labors 
wrought a transformation and the tract became well improved and pro- 
ductive. Upon the farm he remained until 1885, when he removed 
to What Cheer, Iowa, there making his home until within a short time 
prior to his death. He died at the home of his daughter in What 
Cheer, in February, 1894, when eighty-three years of age. A mem- 
ber of the Democratic party, he kept well informed on political issues, 
but was never an office-seeker. At one time he held membership in 
the United Presbyterian church. 

Charles F. Kendall was only two years of age when his parents 
became citizens of Louisa county, Iowa, and there he remained until 
about sixteen years of age, when he accompanied them to Keokuk 
county, in February, 1856. He continued to assist in the cultivation of 
his father's land until eighteen years of age, when on the 21st of 
October, 1861, he responded to his country's call for aid, enlisting in 
Company D, Thirteenth Iowa Infantry, being mustered in at Daven- 
port. He served for three years and nine months as a loyal defender of 
the old flag and the cause it represented and was mustered out on the 
4th of July, 1865, at Louisville, Kentucky. Fie had participated in the 
battles of Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Atlanta, Nashville, and Kingston 
111 North Carolina. He was wounded three times, but was not disabled 
for any great length of time. He was mustered out as seventh cor- 
poral. He had command of Company A, First (Battalion, Second 
Brigade, of the Army of the Tennessee, was in command about six 
months and during that period his company was engaged in the bat- 
tles of Nashville, Tennessee, and Kingston, North Carolina. His 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 161 

company was captured, but lie being wounded at that time was pre- 
vented from being with his company and be thus escaped a term of 
imprisonment in Andersonville prison. After receiving an honorable 
discharge, having faithfully performed every duty devolving upon him 
in army life, he returned to his home and resumed the occupation of 
farming. He purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in 
Washington township, Keokuk county, which he cultivated and im- 
proved, and the well tilled fields yielded to him in return rich and abund- 
ant harvests. 

On the 29th of December, 1868, Mr. Kendell was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Hattie Yickrey, a native of Keokuk county, and a daugh- 
ter of Cyrus Vickrey, a pioneer settler of Keokuk county, who was born 
in Highland county, Ohio, February 21, 1827. His father was of 
Scotch and his mother of English descent, tracing their ancestry to the 
family of Sir Walter Raleigh. Mr. and Mrs. Kendall became the 
parents of four children, three sons and one daughter, as follows : Cyrus 
G., now residing in western Colorado; William Franklin, who is living 
in Warren township ; Sarah Adelade, the deceased wife of F. 
A. Black; and Freddie X., at home with his parents. Mr. Kendall 
resided upon the farm which he improved for eleven years. He then 
sold it and went to Colorado, where he engaged in teaming for about 
four years. On the expiration of that period he returned and located 
on a farm in Warren township. This farm comprised nine hundred 
acres, which he purchased. He still owns of this eight hundred and 
forty-five acres, all under a high state of cultivation. He resided 
upon this farm until about 1899. He then built the attractive and sub- 
stantial home in Delta where he now resides. He is sixty years of age 
and his wife is fifty. His careful supervision of his farming interests 



162 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

has brought him splendid returns and lie is one of the influential men 
of his community, where he is also honored and respected for the 
good he has accomplished, the many acts of kindness shown toward 
those in need, and his well spent life, which has been spent in strict. 
accord with the principles of truth and right. 

He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of 
Delta. Chicago Lodge No. 385, and is also a member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, whereby he maintains pleasant relations with 
his old comrades who. with their hearts filled with love and honor 
for their country, wore the blue upon southern battlefields and fought 
so nobly for the preservation of the Union. Air. Kendall is a Demo- 
crat in his political views and indicates his religious faith by member- 
ship in the Christian church of Delta, his wife also being a member of 
this church. He and his wife have many friends in the community 
where they reside and both are valued and respected citizens. 



JOSEPH B. JACOBS. 

Joseph B. Jacobs, a retired farmer and old settler of Warren town- 
ship, Keokuk county, was born in Johnson county, Indiana, February 28, 
[836. His father, Austin Jacobs, was a native of Kentucky and in 
that state spent his childhood days and acquired his education. His 
natal day was October 21, 1803, and he remained with his parents 
throughout the period of his minority, removing with them to Wayne 
county. Indiana. He was married in Wayne county to Susan Borz- 
worth, a native of Preble county, Ohio, in which state she remained 
with her parents until her marriage. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs were 
born seven children, four sons and three daughters, as follows: Dru- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 163 

silla, niiw deceased; Bennett; Nancy; Henry, also deceased; John, wh i 
died in infancy; Joseph, and Ruth, who also died in infancy. The 
mother of these children passed away in 1840 in Indiana, and the same 
year the father was again married, his second union being with Hannah 
Walker. They, too. had seven children, namely: Whitcomb, Sarah 
Frances, Austin, Hannah, Frank, Perry and Anson. The second wife 
died in 1853. Five years previous to this Mr. Jacobs had brought 
his family to Iowa, locating in Keokuk county, near Lancaster. He 
purchased a farm of seven hundred acres, which was partially im- 
proved, and made his home thereon until 1870, when he traded his 
property for the Goodhart mill and turned his attention to the milling 
business. On the 24th of December, 1861, he was badly injured in 
the mill, his clothing being caught in the machinery so that he was 
thrown into the works and badly crushed, but he recovered and lived 
until October 21, 1873. when he was called to his final rest, being at 
that time seventy years of age. His death occurred at his home near 
the mill and was keenly regretted by many friends. He was always a 
member of the Democratic party and also of the Baptist church. 

Joseph B. Jacobs spent his early childhood days in Indiana and 
at the age of twelve years accompanied his father to Iowa. He re- 
mained at home until twenty-two years of age and on the 24th of De- 
cember, 1858, made preparations for having a home of his own by his 
marriage to Mary H. Vittetoe. a native of Morgan count} - , Indiana, 
where she spent her early childhood, coming with her parents to Iowa 
when a maiden of seven summers. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs 
was blessed with six children, four sons and two daughters. 
These were: William Chester, who died in infancy; [sabelle 
and Luella. both deceased: Edson M. : James and John, who 



164 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

are deceased. The mother died August _\ 1869, at her home 
three miles south of Delta, and on the 2d of February, 1870, Mr. 
Jacobs was a^aiu married, bis second union being with Mary A. Coble, 
a native of Morgan county, Indiana. They are the parents of four chil- 
dren, two sons and two daughters: Joseph, Florence, John, all de- 
ceased; and Minnie, the wife of John Hasty, Jr. The mother of these 
died September 16, 1883, and September 24, 18S4, Mr. Jacobs married 
Mrs. Sarah Frazer, nee Bass. 

After coming to Iowa Air. Jacobs resided upon his farm until the 
death of his first wife. Since 1884 Mr. Jacobs has resided in Delta. He 
has led an agricultural life and gained a comfortable competence, which 
now enables him to put aside business cares. He is a staunch advocate 
of the Prohibition party and has been honored with a number of 
political positions of trust and responsibility. In 1884 he was elected 
a member of the board of county supervisors and filled that position for 
three years. He has also held all the township offices and was a mem- 
ber of the town council of Delta, of the school board and was 'mayor 
of the town. He holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church 
of Delta and gives an active and earnest support to every measure and 
movement which he believes will contribute to the general good. For 
more than a half century he has lived in this county and well deserves 
to be numbered among its honored pioneer citizens. 

ELLIS FRITZLER. 

Ellis Fritzler, who is an enterprising farmer and a native of Keokuk 
county, was bom in Washington township, January 13, 1845. His 
father, Andrew Fritzler, was a native of Germany, born near Berlin, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ho 

May 8, 1S15, and was thirteen years of age when in 1N27 he came to 
the United States in company with his parents, the family being es 
tablished in Miami county, Ohio, where he remained until he came to 
Iowa, in 1842, and settled in Henry county, near Winfield. He was 
married in Ohio, the lady of his choice being Polly Ellis, a native of the 
Buckeye state. They were the parents of ten children, seven sons and 
three daughters, and is a remarkable fact that the band of children 
still remains unbroken by the hand of death. These children are: 
Henry, Albert, Ellis, Hannah, John A., Thomas J.. Andrew L., Anna 
M., Alfred W. and Barbara B. All of the children were born in Iowa 
with the exception of the eldest. As above stated, the father came to 
this state in 1842, taking up his abode upon a farm in Henry county, 
where he remained for about a year. He then removed to Keokuk 
county and located in Washington township, where he entered a farm. 
All was raw land upon which not a furrow had been turned or an im- 
provement made, but soon the track of the shining plow was seen across 
the prairie. He continued the work of improvement and development 
until his place became very valuable. He afterward sold the farm and 
purchased another tract of land in the same township, retaining this in his 
possession until a few years prior to bis death, when he sold it and 
removed to Springfield, in the same township, where his remaining days 
were passed. He departed this life December 20, 1894, at the age of 
seventy-nine years, seven months and twelve days. He was a member 
of the Democratic party and a leading and influential member of Ins 
community, enjoying the respect of his fellow-men by reason of his 
genuine worth. 

Ellis Fritzler spent his early youth upon the home farm in Wash- 
ington township, remaining with his parents until his marriage. That 



166 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

important event in his life occurred November 4, 1S66, the lady of 
his choice being Miss Martha McXabb, a native of Keokuk county, 
where she was born and reared. They were the parents of but one 
child. Andrew, who is now deceased. Soon after his marriage Mr. 
Fritzler purchased a farm in Warren township comprising three hundred 
ami twenty acres, the greater part of which was still in its primitive 
condition, but he at once began to clear and cultivate the land and in 
course of time the well tilled fields returned to him golden harvests. 
Me sold that farm in 1879 and purchased another near Delta, and the 
latter property he still owns, his attention being given to its further 
cultivation with excellent results. 

In 1S72 Mr. Fritzler was called upon to mourn the loss of his first 
wilt', who died on the 10th of May of that year, at the home of her 
husband's father, in Delta, being at the time twenty-four years of age. 
On the 24th of November, iS/G.Mr. Fritzler was again married, his 
second union being with Nancy McNabb, a sister of his first wife 
and at that time the widow of George Clubb. formerly of Van Buren 
township. She was the first white female child born in Warren town- 
ship. May 17. 1844. and has always lived in this county, being a 
representative of one of the honored pioneer families. By her first 
husband she had two children, Susie Clubb, and Georgia, deceased. 
Mr. Fritzler is a staunch Prohibitionist in politics and he and wife are 
members of the Christian church of Delta. Temperance and morality 
have always received his support and he is ever found as the friend of 
all measure- calculated to uplift mankind and to promote the welfare 
ami progress of the community of which he is a resident. 






GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 167 

JACOB S. HAWK. 

In this publication which has to do with those who have been in 
the past or are to-day prominently concerned in the business, profes- 
sional, political and social life of Keokuk county, we are gratified to 
give a specific consideration to Jacob S. Hawk, of Martinsburg, for his 
life has been one of activity and he is widely known throughout the 
county. He is a native of the Buckeye state, where he was born in 
Jackson township, Madison county, September 28, 1827. He comes 
of an old Virginia family, his father, William Hawk, having been born 
there, and reared and educated. Upon arriving at maturity he moved 
over into Ohio with his father, Jacob Hawk, and the rest of the 
family. Here our subject's father married and began his life as a 
farmer in Madison township. In the year 1S53 he joined' the great 
wave of emigration that was setting in toward the west and located in 
Keokuk county, where he took up land in Steady Run township. Here 
he continued to cultivate his farm until 1855, in which year he died at 
the age of fifty-eight years. He was a staunch Republican in politics 
and is remembered to have been a very worthy citizen of that section 
of the county. The mother of our subject was Leah Switzer, also a 
native of the Old Dominion state. She died in 1S40 at a comparatively 
early age, being the mother of nine children, four sons and five daugh- 
ters, all of whom grew to maturity, and seven of this family being still 
alive. The whole family came to Keokuk count)- in 1853. 

Mr. Hawk was reared to farm life, and given a fair education. He 
assisted his father on the farm until the date of his marriage, Sep- 
tember 6, 1849, when he set up an establishment of his own, continu- 
ing in the agricultural life to which he had been reared. His wife was 



168 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Electa J. Henson, who was a native of Jackson county, Ohio. Upon 
arrival in Keokuk county Mr. Hawk took up land in Steady Run town- 
ship, where he engaged actively in farming until 1890, at which time. 
having by thrift and economy acquired a fair competence, he reared 
from active business, and purchasing a home in Martinsburg has since 
that time resided in that city. He retained his farm of one hundred and 
sixty-six acres up to the year 1900, when he sold out. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hawk had rive children, three of whom are living: William, residing 
at home; John, at Martinsburg ; M. J., wife of Millard Parish, residing 
in Oregon City, Oregon. 

Mr. Hawk has been continuously connected with the affairs of 
Steady Run township for forty-five years. He is a staunch Republican 
in politics, and has filled some of the minor offices of the township, hav- 
ing been constable for a period of fourteen years. He is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is a Mason, having 
his membership at Martinsburg; he is also affiliated with the Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows. It is worthy of note in connection with 
the record of this worthy gentleman that at the time when his country 
needed his services he enlisted in Company F, Thirty-third Iowa Vol- 
unteer Infantry, as a private soldier. In this organization he saw some 
severe service. During the service he was promoted to the position of 
sergeant of his company. The life of a soldier, however, was too 
severe for his constitution, and he was honorably discharged on account 
of disability. 

Mr. Hawk is one of the stockholders and directors of the Martins- 
burg National Bank, one of the strongest organizations in Keokuk 
county. Although he is retired from active life as carried on by the 
farming element, he still keeps up his interest in everything that looks 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 169 

to the advancement of the material interests of his county. His ac- 
quaintance throughout the countrj is such that his advice is frequently 
sought in matters of investment l>y the younger men of the community, 
who have great confidence in his judgment in matters of land invest- 
ment. In business Mr. Hawk has attained a very desirable success. 
Dependent entirely upon his own efforts, he has surmounted the ob- 
stacle- in his path, and the difficulties which he has encountered have 
served as an impetus v< renewed labor. In this way he has advanced 
steadily to a position of influence and now, having acquired a handsome 
competence, he is enjoying a well earned rest. 



JOHN C. FOSTER. 

This prominent and representative citizen of Hedrick was horn in 
Henry county, Illinois, October 27, 1865. He is a young man of push 
and energy, and a worthy member of a community in which young 
men take the leading part. His father was M. B. Foster, a native of 
Illinois, and for long years a prominent farmer in that state. He is 
now a resident of Colorado. Air. Foster's mother was Clara L. Weath- 
erbv. now deceased. Mr. Foster is the only living child of their mar- 
riage. He was educated in the public schools of Chicago, and leaving 
school at the age of fifteen, began life for himself. He worked on a 
farm until 1894, when he came to the new town of Hedrick and became 
connected with the public service, serving a period of eight years as 
constable. He was then marshal of the city for a period of three years, 
and for the following four years was night watchman of the city. I fe 
is at the present time engaged in the real estate, insurance and loan busi- 
ness. 






170 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Foster was married on the 19th of January, 1890, to Miss 
Minnie B. Koontz, a native of Keokuk county and a daughter of 
Henry Koontz, one of the pioneers of Benton township. He settled 
thereabout 1840. having removed from North Carolina. Mrs. Fos- 
ter's mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Grimes. Mr. and Mr.-. 
Foster have three interesting children: Belva L., Addie and Vernie. 
Mr. Foster has always taken a very prominent interest in the public 
life of the community in which he resides and holds to a marked degree 
the confidence of his associates. In 1901 he was nominated on the 
Republican ticket for sheriff of Keokuk county. He made a gallant 
race, but owing to local complications he was not able to overcome the 
large majority against him. The vote, however, was very close. For 
a period of four years he acted as secretary of the board of education. 
Fraternally he affiliates with the Knights of Pythias, Lodge No. 398. 
the Modern Woodmen of America, No. 1037. in both of which orders 
he has taken a very active part, and in which he is held in high esteem. 

EZRA HAWK. 

On section jj, in Steady Run township, in this county, lives the 
gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, and who has resided in 
the same locality for an even half century. He was brought to the 
county when he was a child, and he and other members of the family 
have been identified with its agricultural development since that time. 
He is a son of David Hawk and is a native of the Buckeye state, 
having been horn in what is now known as Vinton county, March 22, 
1840. The family comes from old Virginia state. David Hawk hav- 
ing been horn in Greenbrier county and having removed with his 



GENEALOGICAL AXD BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 171 

parents at a very early day to Athens county, Ohio. Here he was reared 
amid the pioneer scenes of the Buckeye state and learned the I 
which later stood him in good stead in carving out for himself a heme 
amidst the pioneer scenes of this western state. He grew to ma 
and married in Ohio, and in 1K40, came to Keokuk county and e 
land from the government. He did not remain long at that time, how- 
ever, but returned to Ohio, where he continue'! farming until [853, 
when he brought his family to Keokuk county and settled on the trad of 
land which he had entered five years previously. He continued to culti- 
vate this land until (868, when he moved to the farm upon which our 
subject's brother Allen now resides. This farm he continued to cultivate 
until the date of his death, that event taking place at the age of seventy- 
one years. Mr. I lawk is remembered as being a man of many noble 
finalities of character, was most industrious and a man of good bu 
judgment. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and 
in the line of politics was a supporter of the old Whig party, and when 
the Republican party was organized he became a staunch supporter of 
the principles promulgated by that organization. During the period of 
his residence in Steady Run township he served in the different local 
offices with great acceptance. Mis father before him, Jacob Hawk, had 
also been a native of Virginia and was one of the pioneers oi Athens 
county, Ohio, having removed there after his marriage in Virginia, 
which event occurred about [813. It is remembered as a tradition in 
the family that the Hawk Virginia holding was in the same locality as 
the Washington plantation, and our subject'- grandfather had a neigh- 
borly acquaintance with General George Washington. 

On the maternal side of the family Elizabeth Loveing, our subj 
mother, was also a native of the Old Dominion state, where she was 



172 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

born in Fluvania county, and was brought to Ross county, Ohio, by her 
via rents when a girl of twelve years of age. She was a daughter of John 
Loveing, who had joined the great tide of emigration in the early part 
of the century which had set in from Virginia to Ohio, and he settled in 
Ross county before the war of i8t2, where he continued to cultivate his 
farm until his death. On the paternal side Mr. Hawk is of mixed Ger- 
man and Holland-Dutch extraction, while from his mother he gets an 
English strain of blood. His parents had a family of nine children, six 
sons and three daughters, eight of whom grew to maturity. Of this 
family Mr. Hawk is the fourth child and the third son. 

He was about thirteen years old when the family came to Keokuk 
county. He received most of his education in the district schools of Vin- 
ton count)-, Ohio, though he remembers instruction in the little old log 
schoolhouse which is still standing in Steady Run township. He re- 
mained at home engaged in the hard labor of clearing up a pioneer farm, 
and no special event of importance occurred to mar the monotony of his 
existence until that great event which changed the current of the lives 
of so many of the youths of the country in the sixties — the great Civil . 
war. Mr. Hawk was reared to principles of intense loyalty to the gov- 
ernment, and was thus ready at the very outset to give himself, if 
need be, as a sacrifice for the maintenance of the constitution. He 
became a member in 1861, of Company I, First Iowa Cavalry, as a private 
soldier, in which organization he served for a period of three years and 
three months ; being at his post of duty during all of that time, except a 
short period which he passed in the hospital on account of sickness. 
He was promoted during this service to the position of corporal. He 
participated in the following principal battles, bis services being mainly 
west of the Mississippi river: Black Water, Missouri; Silver Creek; 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 17, i 

Prairie Grove. Arkansas; and he was in at the taking of Little Rock, 
Arkansas. There were a great many smaller skirmishes in which he 
participated, and an immense amount of scouting service, his command 
having been for a considerable period detailed to look after the noted 
guerilla band led by Quantrel. In all of this service he was faithful, 
and was at his post of duty at all times ; he received his honorable dis- 
cbarge at Davenport, September 9, 1864. He then returned to his honu 
and took up the thread of life where he had laid it down in 1861, and 
has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits within the bounds of the 
township where he was reared. He owns here a large and well ap- 
pointed farm of two hundred and ten acres, and is also cultivating another 
holding on section 27-28 of one hundred and sixty acres. He also has an 
interest in a tract of one hundred and sixty-seven acres in Steady Run 
township in company with his brother Elijah. 

Mr. Hawk began his family life in 1869, when on the 3d of March 
he was joined in marriage to Liza A. McGee. This lady was a native 
of the Hoosier state, having been born in Orange county, June 18, 1851. 
She was the daughter of Henry and Mary E. (Ham) McGee. Her 
father was a native of Kentucky, as was also her mother. They re- 
moved from the Hoosier state to Keokuk county when Mrs. Hawk was 
a child of seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Hawk are the parents of seven 
children, Ida, the wife of Hubert Lewis, a Steady Run township farm- 
er; William H., deceased at the age of eight; Frank, deceased at four 
years; Otis, Earl, Clifton; and Raymond; all children at home. Fra- 
ternally Mr. Hawk is a prominent and worthy member of the Masonic 
fraternity, having his membership in No. 106 Lodge, at Martinsburg. 
He. like his father before him, is a staunch Republican and has been 
honored with several of the local offices during his lifetime here in 



174 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Steady Run township. He is a man who is well and favorably known 
all over the county as one of the most substantial of the farming ele- 
ment. He can always be depended upon to aid in any enterprise that 
has for its purpose the advancement and progress of society in his im- 
mediate community. His many noble qualities of citizenship attract 
to him the kind offices of a large number of friends. 



ALLEN HAWK. 
This gentleman is the youngest child of David and Elizabeth Hawk, 
as referred to above. He is the present efficient trustee of Steady Run 
township and is a man of intluence in the affairs of the count)-. In con- 
nection with his farming, which is conducted upon the Hawk home- 
stead, where the father lived a long time and died, he is also interested 
n the financial institutions of the town of Hedrick, being stockholder in 
I roof the banks of that city. Mr. Hawk was born on the 2d of Janu- 
ary, 1855. on the old home farm where his brother now resides. He 
received his education in the little old log schoolhouse of the home 
district and was reared with the rest of the children to the severe labor 
of a pioneer farm. He remained at home until his marriage, which 
occuired on the 24th of October, 1877. The lady he married was Miss 
Sara Bottorff, a native also of Steady Run township, the daughter of J. 
L. and Mary M. (Heninger) Bottorff. Her father was a pioneer of the 
county, who emigrated to the west from the Hoosier state. The parents 
of Mrs. Hawk were married in this county and remained here until their 
deaths. After his marriage Mr. Hawk immediately began housekeeping 
on the old homestead, where he has since continued to reside, engaged in 
farming and stock raising. They have two children, Roy and Lulu. 




'CZ,M7tffa&ob 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 177 

The farm which Mr. Hawk cultivates consists of two hundred and forty 
acre* at the home place, which body of land is regarded as one of the 
best and most highly improved farm properties in Keokuk county. He 
also operates a tract of one hundred and twenty acres on section 29. 

As stated in the first part of this article, Mr. Hawk is also inter- 
ested in the banking business, being a stockholder in the First National 
Bank and also in the Savings Bank of the neighboring city of Hedrick. 
He supports the party of Lincoln and Garfield and is at present serving 
his fourth year as trustee of Steady Run township. Mr. Hawk is very 
actively interested in the Masonic fraternity, having his Blue lodge 
membership in Martinsburg, a member of the chapter at Sigourney, 
and a member of the commandery at Oskaloosa. In these different 
branches of the order he has served frequently in the different chairs. 
He was master of his lodge for a continuous period of twelve years, 
senior warden for four years, and is now master of the lodge at Mar- 
tinsburg. He is a man who has passed his entire lifetime within the 
bounds of his native county, is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, 
and his prominent identification with the business interests of the county 
all go to make him universally recognized and honored. The authors of 
this volume are glad to give representation to this family in the pages of 
a work which is devoted to the honorable families of Keokuk county. 



HON. A. M. UTTERBACK. 

Among the well and favorably known citizens of Keokuk county is 

Mr. Utterback was reared on the farm and given a common school 

education. He remained at the parental home until lie was married. 

in 1879, Miss Julia E. Hayes becoming his wife. Her parents, J. W. 



178 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and Esther (Brolliar) Hayes, were among the earliest settlers of Keo- 
numbered A. M. Utterback, of Hedrick. He is a native of this county. 
His birth occurred in Lancaster township, April 9, i860. Of Josiah 
Utterback, his father, a biographical sketch appears elsewhere in this 
volume. 

kuk c.ountv. hor the three years succeeding In- marriage, Mr. Utter- 
back was engaged in farming, and then for one year was in the lumber 
business at Delta, Iowa. He then removed to Martinsburg, where he 
was engaged in the same business for a very brief period. For several 
years thereafter, Mr. Utterback followed agricultural pursuits together 
with stock raising and dealing, in Steady Run township. He left the 
farm in 1S92. and removed to the town of Hedrick, which has since been 
his place of residence. In company with others he became interested 
in the Hedrick race course, of which he later became sole proprietor. 
Under his ownership and management fur four years this race course 
became famous and yielded him good revenue, contributing at the same 
time materially to the up-building of Hedrick, which also became well 
advertised by reason of the excellent and well attended races. This 
business interest he sold after conducting it alone for four years. In 
1902, in association with others, he was an organizer of the Hedrick 
State Bank, of which he has been president since its organization. For 
many years Mr. Utterback has extensively dealt in stock, — in cattle 
mostly, and is reckoned among the leading stockmen of the county. 

Politically he has always affiliated with the Democratic party, and 
as the Democratic candidate, he was elected in 1901 to the lower house 
of the Iowa legislature as representative from the Twenty-fourth dis- 
trict. He has also served one term as a member of the county board 
of supervisors. As a citizen Mr. Utterback's course in life has been 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 179 

that of public-spirited man. His business career has been characterized 
by enterprise and success. His genial disposition and pleasing manners 
have gained for him innumerable friends. Five children have been born 
into his home. Their names are Hubert, Blanche, Alta, Fred and Ruth. 
The family is numbered among the leaders of social circles in Hedrick, 
where thev are held in highest esteem. 



JOHN M. ELLIS. 

Iowa owes her development, prominence and prosperity largely to 
her agriculturists and in turn she has been kind to them. Many of 
those who came here at an early day and took part in the development 
of the wild land have found that it was rich in resources and that as 
the years have passed their success has increased until their labors have 
brought to them comfortable competences. Such has been the case with 
Mr. Ellis, who is now a retired farmer of Warren township. He was 
born in Allen county. Ohio, February 2, 1838, a son of John and Han- 
nr.h (Brainard) Ellis. The father was born in New York and re- 
mained in that state during the period of his early youth, after which 
he removed to Ohio, where he followed the occupation of farming. In 
the year 1 84 1 he came to Iowa, locating first in Henry county, where he 
remained for about two years. On the expiration of that period he 
moved to Keokuk county, locating in Washington township, and there he 
remained upon a farm until 1859. In that year he removed to a farm 
near Delta, which continued to be his place of residence until his life's 
labors were ended in death. He passed awav in February, 1882, at the 
ripe old age of eighty-six years. He was married in Ohio to Miss Han- 
nah Brainard, a native of that state, and they were people of the high- 



180 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

est respectability. They became the parents of ten children, three sons 
and seven daughters, all of whom were born in Ohio. In early life the 
father gave his political support to the Whig party and upon its dissolu- 
tion joined the ranks of the Republican party and continued to follow 
its banners until his demise. Both he and his wife were consistent and 
faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

John M. Ellis was only about three years of age when brought by 
his parents to Iowa and has since been a resident of this state, so that 
his entire life practically has been passed here. He has therefore been 
a witness of much of the growth and development of Iowa and feels just 
pride in what has been accomplished, for the state has made rapid strides 
in progress, improvement and up-building. He remained at home with 
his parents until his marriage, and iu fact, lived with them until they 
were called to their final rest. . He has always followed the occupation 
of farming and he still owns a small tract of land near Delta. At the 
time of the Civil war he manifested his loyalty to the government by 
offering his services in 1861 and joining Company D of the Thirteenth 
Iowa Infantry. He was mustered in at Davenport and served for three 
years and one month, during which time he was twice wounded, once in 
the head and again in the hip. He took part in a number of important 
engagements, including the skirmish at Pittsburg Landing and the en- 
tire siege of Vicksburg. He was also in the battle of Kenesaw Moun- 
tain, where he received his first wound, and this so incapacitated him 
that he was never again with his regiment in active field service. He 
received an honorable discharge in November, 1864, and was mustered 
out at Chickamauga, Tennessee. 

On the 1 8th of February, 1866, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
Ellis and Miss Nancv Casey, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Ben- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY . 181 

jamin Casey, one of the pioneer settlers of Keokuk county, who arrive;! 
here in 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Ellis now have five children, namely : James 
W. ; Lillie Adel, the wife of E. Greely ; Emma Luella, the wife of E. A. 
Garrett; Henry Walter; and Charles, deceased. The children w< 
born in Warren township and the sons still live in that township, but 
the daughters are both residents of Oklahoma. Mr. Ellis has ever been 
known as a loyal and public spirited citizen, interested in the welfare of 
his community and its promotion. He has always been identified with 
the Republican party since he became a voter and believes firmly in its 
principles, although he has never sought or desired office. He holds 
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and throughout the com- 
munity where he has so long resided he is widely and favorably known. 
In matters of friendship he is faithful, is true to all the ties of the home, 
in business is reliable and as a citizen is as true and loyal to his country 
and her welfare as when he followed the stars and stripes on the battle- 
fields of the south. 

WADE KIRKPATRICK. 

The city of Hedrick is one of the latest additions to the galaxy of 
municipal stars in Keokuk county, but in the short period of its exist- 
ence has shown such vigorous growth as to bid fair to outstrip its older 
competitors. Its phenomenal increase in population and the metropol- 
itan character that it has rapidly taken on has been due to the stirring 
up-to-date class of citizens which have been in control of its municipal 
organization. We are privileged here to present the name of one of the 
gentlemen who has had much to do with the development of this sturdy 
little city, and who is ready at all times to sacrifice time and money in its 



182 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

progress. He is at the present time justice of the peace and mayor of 
Hedrick, and is a man of sterling worth and character in the community. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick is a native of the state of Ohio, having been born 
in Madison county, November 9, 1846. He is the son of Minor and 
Hannah (Godfrey) Kirkpatrick. The Kirkpatricks are originally from 
Virginia, the father having been born there, and at age of fifteen 
years removed to Madison county, Ohio. He was by occupation a 
farmer, and in the great wave of emigration that came into Iowa about 
the close of the Mexican war, he came to the state, the date being 1848. 
In 1850 he returned to Ohio and brought his family to Wapello county, 
locating at a point four miles south of the present city of Hedrick. 
Here he lived until 1885, engaged in agricultural pursuits. He died 
in the city of Ottumwa in 1894, at the age of seventy-eight years. 
Grandfather Thomas Kirkpatrick was also a native of the Old Domin- 
ion state, and was an early settler in Madison count)-, Ohio, the date 
of his removal there being about 1830. The Kirkpatricks are of Scotch- 
Irish extraction, our subject's great-grandfather, Hugh Kirkpatrick. 
having been the original ancestor, who came to America about the time 
of the Revolutionary war, in which as a young man he participated. It 
is also noted of the grandfather, Thomas Kirkpatrick, that he took a cred- 
itable part in the war of 1812. On the maternal side of the family, the 
Godfreys were also from the Old Dominion state, moving into Ohio at 
about the same time with the Kirkpatricks. Our subject's maternal 
grandfather was Lewis Godfrey. The marriage of our subject's par- 
ents took place about the year 1840, and they became the parents of seven 
children, of which family our subject is the third child. 

He was but four years old when he came to Wapello county, and is 
therefore entitled to be considered almost a native of Iowa. He was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 183 

reared and educated on the farm, receiving a fair common school edu- 
cation, and being taught at home habits of economy and industry. Ik- 
was but a lad when the war cloud burst with its destructive effect over 
the country, and he chafed restlessly under the restraint of home influ- 
ences during the early period of that sanguinary struggle, for the patri- 
otism of the boy was such that he longed to be at the front defending 
Old Glory. His opportunity came, however, and in 1864 he enlisted 
as a private soldier in Company K, of the Second Iowa Volunteer In- 
fantry, and was immediately sent to the front, arriving in time to partic- 
ipate in the Atlanta campaign. Here Mr. Kirkpatrick had the misfor- 
tune to receive a severe wound in the left leg, which caused amputation of 
the same and incapacitated him for further service. He received his 
honorable discharge in March, 1865, after which time he returned home. 
After the war he entered a harness shop, and learned that trade, which 
he worked at for the following seven years, chiefly in the city of Ot- 
tumwa. In 1872 he was elected county recorder of Wapello county, 
which office he held for a period of eight years and administered with 
entire satisfaction to his constituency, having received re-election three 
different times. Upon retiring from this office, from the period of 1881 
to 1888 he engaged in agriculture on a farm three miles south of 
Hedrick. In the latter year he gave up his farming pursuits and moved 
into the city of Hedrick, where he has "since resided. Here, as before 
stated, he has been very intimately connected with the public life of the 
community, and has manifested a most commendable degree of activ- 
ity in its interests. Mr. Kirkpatrick is of a social, jovial disposition, 
and enters into the fraternal life of the community with zest. He is 
a member of the Masonic order, and is prominently identified with the 



184 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Grand Arm) of the Republic, being past commander of J. M. Hedrick 
Post, No. 424. In political faith, Mr. Kirkpatrick is a Republican. 

Our subject was married in 1875 to Lydia J. Spilman, and to this 
marriage were burn three children, two of whom died in infancy. The 
other, Wadi Kirkpatrick, now nineteen years of age, is a stu- 

dent in the Iowa State College at Ames, Iowa. Mrs. Kirkpatrick died in 
18X7. Mr. Kirkpatrick was again married, to a Miss Lucinda V. Neff, 
In [896 Mr. Kirkpatrick was married to Miss Anna 
I!. Hill, a native of Wapello county. Iowa, and daughter of N. C. and 
Mary (Blake) Hill, a prominent pioneer family of Wapello county. Mrs. 
Kirkpatrick was horn in 1853 and was reared and educated in the county 
stated, where she was for many years a popular and successful 
school teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal church of Hedrick, Iowa. 



JAMES A. HAMILTON. 

fames A. Hamilton has always resided in the Mississippi valley, 
and the spun of progress and improvement which has dominated the 
west 1 .emplilied in his life. Industrious and energetic, his 

work in former years has enabled him to now largely put aside business 
cares, lie was born in Putnam county, Missouri, March 7, 1848, a 
son of Wilson C. and Rachel (Summers ) Hamilton. The father was 
a native of Virginia, born in Roanoke county, in October, 1814. When 
g man he left home and in early life engaged in school teaching. 
When the 1 ecame involved in war with Mexico he joined the 

American army and fought for the rights of his nation. He married 
Rachel Summers, a native of Virginia, and they became the parents 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 185 

of five sons, of whom four arc yet living, as follows: Junius A., fames 
A.. Carrie S., and Wilson Li. It was in the year [863 that the father 
came to Iowa, settling in Keokuk county. Soon afterward he purchased 
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, the greater part of winch was 
still in its primitive condition, but with characteristic energy he began 
to clear and cultivate his land and in course of time it was transformed 
into rich fields. He carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, 
which occurred on the old family homestead in Warren township, in 
March, 1899, when he had reached the ripe old age of eighty-four 
years. His political support as given the Democracy. 

James A. Hamilton remained under the parental roof through his 
boyhood days and at the age of sixteen years came with Ins parents to 
Iowa. He assisted in the cultivation and improvement of the home 
farm until he had attained his majority, when he started out in life for 
himself. He was united in marriage, July 16, 1869, to .Matilda Vert, 
who was horn in Washington county. Iowa, a daughter of Reason Vert, 
one of the pioneer settlers of Keokuk and of Washington counties. The 
home of Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton has been blessed with nine children, 
five sons and four daughters, as follows : Rachel, now deceased ; Ella, 
the wife of Vinton Dawson, of Keokuk county; Mary, deceased; Wil- 
son, James, Cleveland, Jesse, Jennie and Fred. The eldest son, Wil- 
son, is an attorney of Sigourney, where he is practicing as a mem K <"- 
of the firm of Talley & Hamilton, and in the fall of igo_> was elected 
county attorney. 

For about a year after his marriage Mr. Hamilton remained upon 
the old home farm and then purchased a tract of land in Warren town- 
ship comprising three hundred acres, which he yet owns. He remained 
upon that farm until 1890, when he built a home in Delta, where he is 



186 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

now living, one of the respected retired farmers of the place. He he- 
longs to Delta Lodge No. 385. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and 
in his life exemplifies the spirit of the fraternity. His political support 
has ever been given to the Democracy, and as every true American citi- 
zen should do, he takes a deep interest in the political issues and ques- 
tions of the day, although he has never been an office seeker. His life 
has been quietly passed, yet he has always been found true to public and 
private duties and to the obligations of the home and of friendship. He 
has a wide acquaintance in Keokuk county, where he has now long resid- 
ed, and the large majority of those who know him give him their friend- 
ship. 

DAVID HALFERTY. 

In the pioneer epoch in the history of this section of Iowa David 
Halfertv. who was born in county Down. Ireland, was educated for the 
substantial development and permanent improvement of Keokuk county. 
He saw he wild lands transformed into fine farms, while industrial and 
commercial interests have been introduced and thus towns have become 
thriving cities. In the work of progress he did his share and was par- 
ticularly active as a representative of the agricultural interests of the 
community. He was one of the oldest settlers of Richland township 
at the time of his death, which occurred August 31, 1902. 

Mr. Halfertv was born on the 9th of November, 1817, in Fairfield 
township, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, of which state his father, 
John Halferty, was also a native. His paternal grandfather, Edward 
Halfertv, who was born in County Down, Ireland, was educated for the 
priesthood, came to this country with a brother at an early day and 
took up his residence in the Keystone state. From Pennsylvania John 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 187 

Halferty removed to Ohio, becoming a pioneer of Richland county, 
where lie made his home throughout the remainder of his life, dying 
at about the age of sixty-five years. By occupation he was a farmer. 
His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Nisbet, was also a 
native of Pennsylvania and was of Welsh and German descent. She 
died when about seventy years of age. In the family of this worthy 
couple were twelve children, eleven sons and one daughter, and with 
one exception all reached man and womanhood, there never being a 
death in the family until all were grown. The sons were all stout and 
quite large. Three of the children are still living, namely: Zepheniah ; 
Jacob; and Elizabeth, the wife of Allen Armentrout of California. 

The subject of this sketch was a child of about six years when he 
accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, and in Richland 
county he grew to manhood, his education being obtained in an old 
time log schoolhouse, Samuel Kirkwood being one of his teachers. On 
reaching man's estate he was married in Knox county, Ohio. Novem- 
ber 2. 1843. to Miss Mary Brolliar. who was born in Somerset county, 
Pennsylvania, on the 24th of May. 1824. and was but four years old 
when her family removed to Stark county, Ohio. Two years later they 
took up their residence in Knox count}-, where she was reared and edu- 
cated, attending school near Ankenytown. which place was named in 
honor of her uncle, Mr. Ankeny, who was a prominent man of that local- 
ity and represented his district in the Ohio legislature. Mrs. Halferty 
was also the sixth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, six 
sons and six daughters. 

Our subject and his wife began their married life upon the old 
homestead near Ankenytown in Knox county, Ohio, but in 1845 thev 
decided to try their fortune on the other side of the Mississippi and cam* 



188 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

to Keokuk county, Iowa, by teams, locating at once in Richland town- 
ship, where a little log house was built in the midst of the forest. Al- 
though this primitive dwelling contained but one room, the latch-string 
was always out and many a guest was made welcome within its hospitable 
doors. Upon this farm Mr. and Mrs. Halferty had lived for fifty-seven 
years, when he died, and during this time it has been converted from 
a wild tract to one of great fruitfulness. Throughout his active busi- 
ness life our subject followed agricultural pursuits. He took up land 
from the government and at one time owned three hundred and sixty 
acres, but disposed of much of this, though at his death he owned one 
hundred and thirty acres, which is under a high state of cultivation and 
well improved. Having retired from active labor he rented a few years 
before his death the farm, and enjoyed a well earned rest. 

To Mr. and Mrs. Halferty were born eight children, as follows: 
Elenora, now the wife of Dr. John Roop, a resident of Nebraska ; Jor- 
dan A., deceased; Columbus D., who married Alwilda Clevenger; Ze- 
pheniah, who married Venishia Stewart ; Leonidas C, who married Hat- 
tie Powell ; Isadora, deceased ; Van, who married May Jolly : and Dora, 
the wife of S. E. Chacey. The parents of these children celebrated their 
golden wedding in 1893, having for over half a century traveled life's 
journey together, sharing its joys and sorrows, its adversity and pros- 
perity. Their married life covered a period of fifty-seven years, and 
they had twenty-one grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

After attaining his majority Mr. Halferty supported the Demo- 
cratic party until 1853, when he became a Whig, and on the organiza- 
tion of the Republican party he joined its ranks and thereafter continued 
a stanch supporter of its principles. From 1857 he was a member 
of the Baptist church and took an active part in church work. His 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR). 189 

estimable widow, however, holds membership in the Adventist church. 
She survives him and resides on the old home. 

Mr. Halferty was universally respected by all who knew him, 
during the fifty-seven years he lived in Richland township he was never 
sued or ever brought suit in court, and no quarrel or serious trouble 
ever arose between him and a neighbor. He retained his mental facul- 
ties in full vigor up to the hour of his death and the data for tins sketch 
of his life was furnished by him a short time before his death. 



V SAMUEL YULE. 

Samuel Yule is a stock farmer of Richland township residing on 
section 19, where he owns and operates two hundred and ten acres of 
good land. He was born in Ashland county, Ohio, January 12, 1844. 
His father, John Yule, was a native of Scotland, born in Aberdeen- 
shire, and in his native land was reared and married. In 1836 he 
crossed the Atlantic to America, locating in Ashland count}'. Ohio, 
where he followed his trade of stone cutting and also assisted materially 
in building many of the foundations that were laid in Ashland county 
at an early day. His last days were passed upon a farm in Keokuk 
county, Iowa, where he arrived in 1854, taking up his abode on the farm 
which is now the home of our subject. There he died on the 7th of 
February, 1880, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. His wife, who 
bore the maiden name of Jeanette Thompson, was a native of Bauf 
Shire, Scotland, and reached a very advanced age. namely, ninety-one 
years. This worthy couple were the parents of eight children, six sons 
and two daughters. Three of the number were born in Scotland, while 
the others were born in Ashland county. Ohio, These are: James, de- 



190 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ceased; John, who like his brother died in California; George, a resi- 
dent of Colorado; William, who makes his home in New Mexico; 
Margaret, the widow of David Baughey and a resident of Iowa; Ellen, 
the wife of A. J. Ramsey, of Richland, Iowa; Samuel, of this review; 
and Joseph, who is living in Colorado. 

Mr. Yule, whose name introduces this record, was the seventh in 
order of birth in his father's family and was a youth of eleven sum- 
mers when he came with his parents to Keokuk county, Iowa, being 
reared upon the farm which is now his home. He continued to care 
for his aged parents until they were called to their final rest and 
throughout the vears of his active manhood he has devoted his atten- 
tion to agricultural pursuits with excellent success. As a companion 
and helpmate on life's journey he chose Sarah Wharton, and after two 
years of happy married life he was called upon to mourn the loss of 
his wife. In 1875 he was again married, his second union being with 
Sarah M. Wagner, a native of Indiana and a daughter of Abraham and 
Catherine Wagner, in whose family were eight children, Mrs. Yule being 
the fourth in order of birth. With her parents she was brought to 
Keokuk county during her early childhood. By her marriage she has 
become the mother of four children: Anna B., the wife of Jean Davis, 
a resident of Richland; Lulu E., the wife of Roy Davis, who is living 
in Jefferson county, Iowa; Nettie C, the wife of Frank Shelley, whose 
home is in Jackson township, Keokuk county; and James B., who is 
assisting his father on the home farm. 

Mr. Yule owns an excellent tract of land of two hundred and ten 
acres, which is well improved. He is a stock farmer and keeps on 
hand a fine herd of Galloway cattle. In his stock dealings he has pros- 
pered, his annual sales bringing to him a good financial return. He is 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 19 j 

now recognized as one of the prosperous farmers of Richland township, 
where he lias made his home for forty-eight years, his upright life win- 
ning for him the confidence and friendship of those with whom he has 
been brought in contact. He is a leading and active member of the 
Congregational church and is a stanch Republican, doing all in his power 
t i promote the growth and insure the success of his party, yet he has 
never sought or desired office. Fraternally he has for some years been 
connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a public- 
spirited man, taking an active interest in everything pertaining to the 
geenral welfare. In 1892 he made a trip to the west, visiting Glen- 
wood Springs. Denver and other places of interest in Colorado. He is 
content, however, to make Keokuk county his home, for here he has 
found good business opportunities, and as the result of his industry and 
untiring enterprise he has steadily progressed until he has gained for 
himself a comfortable competence. 



JONATHAN F. RICHARDSON, M. D. 

Dr. Jonathan Franklin Richardson is a retired physician living in 
Keota and is a man whose upright life as well as professional ability 
have gained for him the respect and confidence of his fellow-men. He 
was born in Vermilion county, Indiana, July 30, 1836, and is the eldest 
in a family of thirteen children, whose parents' were Anson and LytL 
(Weller) Richardson. The father was born in Ohio on the 2d of Dc 
cember, 1814, and was a son of Joseph Richardson, whose birth occurred 
in England. After acquiring his education in the common schools An- 
son Richardson learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for 
many years. In 1836 he came from Indiana to Illinois and in 1845 



192 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

came with his family to Keokuk county, Iowa, where he is still living, 
his home being now in Lancaster township. He married Lydia Weller, 
whose birth occurred December 2, 181 8, and was of German descent, 
her mother having been born in the fatherland. Mrs. Richardson lived 
to be about sixty-three years of age. 

The Doctor was only about six weeks old when his parents removed 
to McDonough county, Illnois, where he remained until a youth of nine 
years, when the family came to Koekuk county, Iowa. Here he was 
reared and in the district schools he pursued his education, the temple 
of learning being a log building in which the furnishings were crude 
and the methods of instruction were also somewhat primitive. Outside 
of school hours, however, he has greatly broadened his knowledge bv 
reading, experience, observation and study, and is to-day a well in- 
formed man of scholarly attainments. Wishing to devote his energies 
to the practice of medicine he began study for the profession under the 
direction of Doctor Flint, of Ottumwa, Iowa, in whose office he remained 
for about four years. He then began practice and in 1861 removed 
to Keokuk, where he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
that city, being graduated there with the class of 1864. He then took 
up his abode in Keokuk county and in 1872 removed to Harper, this 
county, where he was continuously in the practice for nineteen years, 
enjoying a large patronage, which was accorded him by reason of his 
acknowledged skill and ability as a member of the medical profession. 
In 1891 he came to Keota, where he remained in active practice until 
about 1894, when he retired to private life to enjoy the rest which 
he has surely earned and richly deserves. During the long years of 
his active connection with the medical profession he kept in touch 
with the progress of the times through reading and study and thus 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 193 

continually broadened his knowledge and promoted his efficiency in the 
work of alleviating human suffering. 

On the 20th of October, 1859, Dr. Richardson was united in mar- 
riage to Martha Jacobs, who was born in Johnson count}*, Indiana, 
on the 14th of June, 1839, a daughter of John C. and Permelia (Craig 1 
Jacobs. Her parents were both born in Kentucky in the year 181 1 and 
became the parents of eight children, of whom Mrs. Richardson is 
the third in order of birth. She was brought to Keokuk county in 1846 
when but seven years of age, the family becoming pioneer settlers of 
this portion of the state. By her marriage she became the mother of 
six children : Edward Lee, who died at the age of two years ; Adla, at 
home; Robert Lee, who is engaged in the -furniture busines in Keota; 
John C, who is a printer by trade; Anson, who died at the age of nine 
months; and Austin, who is editor of the Eagle, a paper published at 
Keota. 

The Doctor gave his political support to the Democracy until 1896, 
when his views concerning the monetary question and other important 
issues before the people led him to ally his forces with the Republican 
party. His fellow-townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, elected 
him to the office of mayor of Keota, but he resigned before the expira- 
tion of his term. He has served as pension examiner for twenty years 
and for many years he was a valued member of the County Medical So- 
ciety. He is the oldest physician of the county to-day. having been here 
for nearly sixty years. In the early days he traveled far and wide to 
administer needed aid to the sick and suffering, and he won the love 
and gratitude of man)' a household. Few men in the county are more 
widely known than the Doctor and none more deserve the high regard 
extended to them than does this honored member of the medical pro- 
fession. 



194 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

JAMES R. SPEIRS. 

Among the well known and highly respected citizens of Keokuk 
county, who for half a century has played an important part in the 
development of this section of the state, is James R. Speirs of Martins- 
burg, at the present time the honored president of that staunch financial 
institution, the Martinsburg Bank. There are few men whose lives are 
crowned with the honor and respect that is universally accorded Mr. 
Speirs, and through long connection with this portion of the state his 
has been an unblemished character. With him success in life was 
reached by sterling qualities of mind and heart, true to every manly 
principle. He has never deviated from what his judgment indicated 
to be right and honorable between his fellow-men and himself. He 
has never swerved from the path of duty, and along many substantial 
lines of progress he has labored for the welfare of the people among 
whom he has resided. No citizen of the county is more deserving of 
representation in a volume which purports, as does this one, to set forth 
the more honorable families which have been connected with the develop- 
ment and growth of Keokuk county. 

James R. Speirs is a Buckeye by birth, born in Butler county, Sep- 
tember 20, 1828. His father, Robert Speirs, was a Scotchman by birth, 
born in Glasgow about 1793. He remained in the old country until he 
was twenty-eight years of age and as a single man came to America 
and located in New Jersey, where he began his married life. He later 
removed his family to Butler county. Ohio, where he worked at his trade, 
for a few years, that of a weaver. He married in New Jersey, 
Miss Mary Burk, and in 1864 removed to Steady Run township, Keokuk 
county, where he passed the remainder of his life in the cultivation 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 195 

of the farm, on which he died at the age of eighty-six years. The 
mother of our subject was a native of New Jersey, the Burks being of 
Irish extraction. They were also weavers by occupation. Their family 
consisted of twelve children, eleven of whom they reared to maturity. 
The subject of this sketch is the fifth son and the fifth child of the 
family. He removed with the family to Indiana at the age of three 
years, in which state he was reared to manhood. His education was of 
a rather primitive and limited kind, he being able to go to school but 
three months in the year. He remained dutifully at home until 
his marriage, engaged in helping his parents in the battle of life. October 
9, 1852, marks the date of his marriage with Katherine Stenger, who 
was a native of Preble county. Ohio, where she was reared to woman- 
hood. To this marriage were born three children, Mary E., deceased; 
Sara A., also deceased; and Anna, wife of John McCrearv. a prominent 
farmer of Jackson township, Keokuk county. Mr. Speirs married his 
present wife in the year i860, the exact date being January 26th. Mrs. 
Speirs' maiden name was Phyllis Flint, and she is a native of Franklin 
county, Indiana. In the year 1854 Mr. Speirs removed with his familv 
to Keokuk county, where he settled in Jackson township, and where for 
thirty-six years he continued to reside engaged actively in the cultiva- 
tion of his farm. In 1890 he located in Martinsburg and bought an 
interest in the Martinsburg Bank, of which he became vice president. 
On the 6th of February, 1899. this bank was reorganized and Mr. Speirs 
was chosen as its president. This is one ol the most solid financial 
institutions of the county, its officers being men of the very highest stand- 
ing and character. They are as follows: Our subject is the honored 
president; Mr. 1. N. Ogden. vice president; Earl Young, cashier; John 
Speirs, nephew of subject, is assitant cashier; while W. R. Speirs, 



196 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

another nephew, is a stockholder. The capital stock of the bank is 
$600,000. Besides his banking interests Mr. Speirs is very largely inter- 
ested in real estate in the city, and also has interest in farming prop- 
erty in Keokuk county. 

Ever since the organization of the party Mr. Speirs has been a 
staunch and earnest supporter of Republican principles. He has served 
in different positions of trust, having been a trustee of the town- 
ship for a considerable period. Fraternally he is a member of the 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and for fifty years has been promi- 
nently identified with the Presbyterian church, in which he is an hon- 
ored elder. At the time of the Civil war Mr. Speirs was found a loyal 
citizen, who valiantly espoused the cause of the Union and went forth to 
do battle for the stars and stripes. In 1862 he enlisted as sergeant in 
company F, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and his period of 
service covered three years. His command became part of the army of 
the West and saw service in many of the hard fought battles, and in 
many smaller skirmishes with Indians and guerillas. At the battle 
of Helena he was unfortunate enough to receive a wound in the arm 
by a minie ball, but was not incapacitated for service. He received an 
honorable discharge from the service at New Orleans in August of 
1865. Mr. Speirs takes active interest in the affairs of Keokuk county, 
being particularly interested in the pioneers who came to the county in 
the early day, and who are responsible for its marvelous growth and 
progress. He was instrumental in the formation of the Old Settlers' 
Organization and takes great delight in its yearly meetings at Sigour- 
ney. 

In all life's relations James R. Speirs has followed a course at 
once honorable and upright, and his life demonstrates the worth of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOR) . 197 

integrity and enterprise in the busy affairs of the world. His life has 
been honorably associated with the history of Keokuk county, and in 
business he sustains an unassailable reputation. He and his family 
receive and merit the encomiums of a very lar°:e circle of friends. 



JAMES MORRISON. 

In every community are found quiet and retiring men who seek no 
public honors or public notice, yet exert a strong influence on the com- 
munity by reason of their upright lives, their fidelity to principles and 
their devotion to the good of their community. Such a man is James 
Morrison, who was for long years an honored representative of the agri- 
cultural interests of Benton township, and his life in many respects is 
worthy of emulation. He is at the present time residing in the town 
of Hedrick, where he is living a retired life on the competence which 
his well directed efforts in earlier manhood have brought to him. 

James Morrison is of Scottish descent, having been born in Scot- 
land, August 27, 1836. He is the second child of John and Katherine 
(Marnoch) Morrison. For further mention of his parental history see 
the personal sketch of John Morrison, of Hedrick, who is his brother, 
James Morrison was a mere lad when he came to America with his 
parents, who remained six years in the state of Ohio and came in 1854 
to Keokuk county, where they settled on wild land in Benton township. 
Here James was reared to manhood and was taught the habits of indus- 
try and perseverance, which have ever been traits of his character. 
In 1862 he enlisted in company F, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 
as a private soldier. In this organization he served until the close of the 
war, mostly in the west. In all his service he passed not a single day 



198 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

off duty and was always found at his post. He received an honorable 
discharge at New Orleans in 1865, on account of the close of war, hav- 
ing served well the country of his adoption. On the 16th of April, 1868, 
he was joined to Rachel Hudson, daughter of Joseph and Rachei Hud- 
son. Mrs. Morrison is a native of Virginia, where she was born in Wash- 
ington county in 1843. When she was ten years old her parents re- 
moved to Jefferson county, Iowa. Her father was a native of England, 
and her mother was a native of Virginia ; they had four sons and four 
daughters, all of whom are living but one daughter, and all are mar- 
ried and have families of their own. To the marriage of Mr, and 
Mrs. Morrison there were born six children; Mary, wife of Jos. Davis, 
of Eddyville; James, residing in Hedrick ; Margaret resides at home; 
Hugh is a farmer in Benton township; Walter is a son at home; Katy, 
who died in girlhood. After their marriage Mr. Morrison located at 
the old homestead in Benton township, where they resided for the next 
thirteen years engaged in farming and stock raising. In 1881 Mr. Mor- 
rison bought a farm in another part of the township, upon which they 
lived until they retired from active work and removed to the town 
of Hedrick. He still retains this farm of one hundred sixty acres. Mr. 
Morrison is one of the old pioneers of the county, and his life has been 
such as to secure him the friendship of a numerous acquaintance. 

In political affairs he has always been a staunch Republican, and is 
proud of the fact that he was one of the early supporters of that party. 
He has been honored with some of the minor offices of his township, 
having served as trustee for a period of years. Fraternally he is affiliated 
with the Masonic order, having his membership in Garfield Lodge, No. 
485. He is also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, J. M. Hed- 
rick, Post No. 424. Mr. Morrison has been very successful in the pursuit 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 199 

of agriculture, due largely to his untiring industry and excellent business 
judgment, steadily pursuing his way undeterred by the obstacles and 
difficulties in his path. Steady application, careful study of business 
methods to be followed, close attention to details, combined with untir- 
ing energy — these are the traits of character which have brought to him 
success. He is passing his life in easy retirement among an extensive 
circle of friends. 

ROBERT S. BRICE, M. D. 

Dr. Robert Stockton Brice is one of the oldest resident physicians 
in Keokuk county and has easily maintained a position in the front 
rank of the medical fraternity in this part of the state throughout the 
years of his residence here. He now makes his home in Keata, where 
he has resided almost continuously from the establishment of the town. 
His practice extends over a wide territory, and in a calling where suc- 
cess and advancement depend upon individual merit, upon comprehensive 
learning and marked ability, he has won distinction, gaining a very envi- 
able reputation, yet he is not less esteemed for his personal worth than 
for his professional ability. 

The Doctor was born in Belmont county, Ohio, July 7, 1838, and 
comes of a family of Scotch lineage. His grandfather, the Rev. James 
Brice, was a native of Virginia and was a minister of the Presbyterian 
church. His son, John Brice, the father of our subject, was also 
born in the Old Dominion and was a farmer by occupation. He 
married Agness Byers, who was born and reared in Pennsylvania, a 
daughter of Andrew Byers, whose birth occurred in the Keystone state 
and who was of German descent. He, too, carried on agricultural pur- 
suits to support his family. 






200 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The Doctor was the sixth child and fourth son in a family of eight 
children, five sons and three daughters, all of whom reached years of 
maturity. He was reared in his native place, pursued his early educa- 
tion in the puhlic schools and continued his studies in the West Alex- 
andria Academy, where he was graduated. Turning his attention to 
educational work, he successfully engaged in teaching for many years 
and for two years was the principal of the Powhattan school. Wherever 
he was employed his services were highly satisfactory, for he was a 
capable instructor, imparting with clearness to others the knowledge 
he had acquired. At length he determined to enter the medical profession 
and therefore began studying, with Dr. R. M. Bain, of Powhattan, 
Ohio, as his preceptor. He continued to read under his direction for 
two years, when he offered his services to his country and became 
an assistant surgeon, remaining with the army for two years. He 
was stationed at Brown Hospital, at Louisville, Kentucky, and at Float- 
ing Hospital, at New Albany, Indiana. In 1864 he resumed his studies 
in the medical department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, 
and the following years he came to Iowa. 

Dr. Brice made his way direct to Keokuk county and located for 
practice in Talleyrand, where he remained until 1872, when on the estab- 
lishment of the town of Keota, he came to this place, where he has 
remained continuously since with the exception of a period of three 
years, from 1890 until 1893, when he was in Denver, for his health. 
During that time he also engaged in practice. He was the first physician 
of Keota and from the time he located here he has enjoyed a good 
patronage. In 1882 he pursued a course in medicine at Louisville, Ken- 
tucky, and he has continually added to his knowledge concerning the 
healing art by reading, research and investigation so that his under- 




^^^r^T^-z^^v^ 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



203 



standing of medical principles is broad and comprehensive, and he has 
always been quick to adopt any new methods of treatment that he be- 
lieved would prove beneficial. He has been a member of the Keokuk 
county medical society, the Washington county medical society, the state 
medical association and the National medical association and he is 
special examining physician for many insurance companies. 

In 1871 Dr. Brice was united in marriage to Mrs. Minerva Smith, 
nee Butler, and they now have one daughter, Nellie, who possesses excel- 
lent musical talent and is now acting as organist in the Presbyterian 
church. The Doctor is now the only charter member of Enterprise 
Lodge, No. 159, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; he was at one time 
very active in its work and has been honored with all of the offices 
within the gift of the fraters of the lodge. He is a prominent member 
of the Presbyterian church, is active in its work and has for a number 
of years served as one of its elders. He was also chairman of the 
building committee at the time of the reconstruction of the house of 
worship. Local advancement and national progress have ever been 
causes dear to his heart and Dr. Brice has co-operated in many move- 
ments for the welfare and advancement of Keota and Keokuk county. 
His sterling worth has gained for him friends in all walks of life and he 
is held in the highest esteem by young and old, rich and poor, while in 
his profession he has long maintained a leading position as a medical 
practitioner of Keokuk county. 

C. M. BROWN. 

C. M. Brown is a native of Knox county, Ohio. He was born No- 
vember 9, 1845, and is the son of Garretson and Ann (Holland) 



204 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Brown. The father was of Welsh descent. His early ancestors settled 
in Maryland and there, in Montgomery county, Garretson was born in 
1802. His wife was of German descent, one of a family of twelve chil- 
dren who all grew to maturity. She was born in Monongalia county, 
West Virginia, and for a short time after her marriage to Mr. Brown 
continued to live in her native state. Later they moved to Knox county, 
Ohio, where Mr. Brown engaged in farming for many years. In 1872 
the\ settled in Keokuk county, this state, still interested in farming. The 
wife died in 1874 at the age of seventy, and the husband remained on his 
farm until the time of his death in 1889. Three of their nine children 
died in infancy, four are now living; two sons and one daughter in Keo- 
kuk county and one son in Muscatine county. 

C. M. Brown was reared on the farm in Ohio and his education 
was begun in the district schools of the county. Later he entered the 
high school at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and subsequently spent a year at Ken- 
yon College in Gambier, Ohio. He taught school for two terms in his 
native state and in 1868 came west and taught for two years in the 
schools of Muscatine county, Iowa. Before leaving Ohio he had already 
begun the study of law and in 1871 he graduated from the law depart- 
ment of the state university at Iowa City. He at once located in Si- 
gourney, where he has continued ever since with the exception of about 
five years spent at Whatcheer, Iowa. He is actively concerned with the 
political affairs of his state. In 1881 his party, the Republican, nomi- 
nated him for state senator. He was elected and held the office for four 
years. In 1874 he married Miss Flora Sampson, daughter of Judge E. 
S. Sampson. They are the parents of four children, namely : Anna, wife 
of Ernst E. Brackin of Coal Creek, Iowa; Roy C, an attorney-at-law 
associated with the father and having charge of a law office in What- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 205 

cheer, the firm being Brown & Brown; Millie E. and Helen, who are 
both at home. The son saw active service during the late Spanish- 
American war. He was a member of the Fifty-first Iowa Volunteer 
Infantry and spent one year in the Philippines. Mr. and Mrs. Brown 
are both members of the Presbyterian church. Fraternally he belongs 
to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is prominent in Grand 
Army of the Republic circles. In 1863 he enlisted with the national 
guard in Ohio, and on May 2, 1864, entered Company A of the One Hun- 
dred Forty-second Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He ranked as a private, 
and at the expiration of his term of service he was discharged, in Sep- 
tember, 1864. He is a member of the Robert F. Lowe post and has 
been commander for two years. He has served for one year on the staff 
of the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, an in- 
dex of Mr. Brown's popularity and executive ability. 



RALPH G. COFFMAX. 

Ralph G. Coffman was born in Washington county, Iowa, August 
15, 1875. His father, the Rev. J. W. Coffman, was a native of Virginia 
and pursued his education in Shurtleff College, at Chicago, and Morgan 
Park Seminary. He became a minister of the Baptist church and for 
many years engaged in preaching the gospel both in Illinois and in 
Iowa. About 1865 he took up his abode in Washington county, Iowa, 
and for some time was also located in Burlington. He is now retired 
from the ministry and makes his home at Keota, but his interest in 
church work is deep and abiding and his influence is yet given to the 
advancement of the cause of Christianity, of which he was so long a 
faithful representative in ministry. He married Margaret Bear, a 



206 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

native of Washington county, Iowa, and a daughter of Gideon and 
Mary Bear, who were among the pioneer settlers of that county. Her 
father was a farmer by occupation, one of the leading land holders 
of Washington county, becoming a wealthy man so that he was enabled 
to provide well for each of his ten children. Of this family Mrs. Coff- 
man was the third child and second daughter. To Rev. and Mrs. 
Coffman were born four children, two sons and two daughters, namely : 
Carrie; Northup, a farmer of Washington county; Ralph G., our sub- 
ject; and Mary, who is living at the parental home. 

Ralph G. Coffman pursued his education in public schools and in 
Central University of Iowa, located at Pella, Iowa, where he pursued a 
classical course. He then began teaching school and followed that pro- 
fession for four years, during which time he spent one year as prin- 
cipal of the schools of Lancaster, Iowa. In 1898 he was tendered the 
position of secretary and bookkeeper by the firm of Keiser Brothers, of 
Keota, and accepting this position he held the same until recently, and ac 
present is in the employ of the Keokuk County News. 

On the 21st of November, 1900, Mr. Coffman was united in mar- 
riage to Georgia Green, a daughter of H. F. and Lizzie (Ramsey) 
Green. Mr. Coffman holds membership in the Masonic fraternity and 
has taken the Royal Arch degrees. He is also connected with the 
Knights of Pythias fraternity and is a man well known and well liked 
throughout this portion of Iowa. His scholarly attainments, his courtesy 
and his genial manner have made him a pleasant companion and a pop- 
ular gentleman, and in the history of Keokuk county he well deserves 
mention. 






GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR ) . 207 

SAMUEL DINGS, M. D. 

Among the medical practitioners of Keota is numbered Dr. Samuel 
Dings, who is accorded a liberal and lucrative patronage by reason of 
his ability in the life work he has chosen. He was born in Washington 
county, New York, October 23, 1857. His father, John Dings, was also 
a native of the Empire state and there the grandfather, Adam Dings, 
was likewise born. The family is of English lineage and was early 
established in New York. John Dings became a carpenter and farmer 
and for many years resided in Argyle, New York. He wedded Margaret 
McFadden, a native of the Empire state and of Scotch lineage. The 
Doctor is the second of their four children, two daughters and two sons, 
all of whom are yet living. The father, however, passed away in 
Argyle, New York at age of sixty-five years, while the mother died 
in Crawfordsville, Iowa, when thirty-three years of age. 

Dr. Dings is the only member of the family living in this state. He 
is indebted to the public school system of New York for the early 
educational privileges he enjoyed, having pursued his studies in Wash- 
ington county. He afterward attended Howe's Academy, at Mount 
Pleasant, Iowa, and also the academy in Washington, Iowa. He came 
to this state in 1876. locating in Washington county, and here he 
engaged in teaching to some extent. In 1882 he went to Kansas, locat- 
ing in Nortonville, where he engaged in farming for about five years, 
and on the expiration of that period, having determined to enter the 
medical profession, he took up the study of medicine in 1886. In 18S7 
he matriculated in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Keokuk, 
Iowa, and on completing the regular course was graduated with the class 
of 1889. The same year he located for practice in Keota, where he has 



208 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

since remained. Whatever tends to promote the interests of his pro- 
fession and place before man the key to the mystery of that complex 
problem which we call "life" at once attracts the interest and co-opera- 
tion of Dr. Dings. He is an extremely busy and successful practitioner, 
many professional as well as social demands being made upon his 
services. 

In 1881 occurred the marriage of Dr. Dings and Miss Ida May 
Hood, a daughter of Samuel Hood, who was born and reared in Louisa 
county, Iowa, and pursued her education there. Unto them have been 
born two children: Samuel E., and Harold H. Both the Doctor and 
his wife hold membership in the United Presbyterian church, take an 
active part in its work and at the present time the Doctor is serving as 
superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is a Republican in politics with 
strong Prohibition tendencies. In the line of his profession he is con- 
nected with the county medical society and the Eastern Iowa District 
Medical Society, and through the interchange of thought and experience 
in the brotherhood of these organizations he is continually broadening 
his knowledge concerning the medical profession and the methods of 
practice in vogue with the members of the fraternity. His own research, 
experience and experimenting as well as careful observation have also 
heightened his skill, and he now enjoys a liberal practice in Keota and the 
surrounding country. 

MORGAN HAWK. 

Having put aside farm work Morgan Hawk is now living a re- 
tired life, making his home in the town of Delta, where he is widely 
and favorably known. He was born in Union county, Ohio, July 4, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 209 

1838, and comes of an old Virginia family. His father, Jacob Hawk, 
was born in Hardy comity, Virginia, and there spent the days of 
his boyhood and youth, but in early manhood he left the Old Dominion 
and in 1830 traveled westward to Knox county Ohio. There he located 
and after a time removed to Union county, that state, where he remained 
until 1854. In the latter year he determined to establish a home beyond 
the Mississippi, attracted by the possibilities of this great and rapidly 
developing section of the country. Making his way to Iowa he settled 
in Warren township, Keokuk county, where he purchased a farm of 
two hundred and ninety acres of partially improved land. He was 
married in Virginia to Sedeen Real, a native of the Old Dominion, 
where she remained until her marriage. They became the parents of 
ten children, seven sons and three daughters : Eunice B., Martin ; Dolly, 
who died in infancy; Isaac; William and John, deceased; Anthony, 
Sarah, Morgan, and Vanson. The father of this family remained upon 
the old home farm in Warren township until his death, which occurred 
in 1878, when he was eighty-four years of age. He was a life-long 
Democrat and was a member of the Baptist church. In whatever com- 
munity he resided he was known for his sterling worth, his fidelity and 
manly principles and his devotion to truth and the right. 

Morgan Hawk was the sixth son and ninth child in his father's 
family. Under the parental roof he spent the days of his childhood, 
and with his parents came to Iowa when fifteen years of age, remaining 
with them until they were called to their final rest. He afterward became 
the owner of the old homestead, which remained in his possession until 
1 90 1. He has resided in Delta since 1899. He bought a lot here and 
built his present home. Throughout the years of his business life he 
carried on agricultural pursuits, his training at this work in youth hav- 



210 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ing brought him practical experience which well fitted him to take charge 
of the farm on attaining manhood. He followed progressive methods, 
keeping in touch with the advancement of the times, and everything about 
the place was indicative of the careful and enterprising spirit of the 
owner, whose efforts at farm work were crowned with a high degree of 
success whch now enables him to put aside business cares and rest in 
the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. 

Mr. Hawk was married in Warren township to Miss Sarah Jane 
Scott, a native of Indiana and a daughter of John Scott, who was born in 
Kentucky and became one of the pioneer settlers of Keokuk county, 
Iowa, arriving here in the year 1844. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
Hawk has been blessed with ten children, four sons and six daughters, 
as follows: John, Edward, Mary, Lacey, Amanda, the wife of Lee 
Dawson; Clara, the wife of Wesley Snider; William; Delia, the wife 
of Virgil Bell; Gertrude, the wife of John S. Scoonover; and Jessie, de- 
ceased. All of these children were born on the old family homestead 
and with the exception of three, all of the living are yet residents of 
Warren township, and those three reside in neighboring townships, so 
that the surviving members of the family are all near to their parents. 
Mr. Hawk has ever devoted his political work to the support of the 
Democracy and has kept well informed on the issues of the day, so that 
he has been enabled to support his position by intelligent argument. 
Both he and his wife are faithful and devoted members of the Christian 
church, are well known in the community where they make their home 
and are highly respected by reason of their many excellent qualities 
of heart and mind. They have long traveled life's journey together and 
have many friends. 



genealogical and biographical history. 211 
chauncy richmond. 

Chauncy Richmond, who is now living a retired life in Webster, 
but for many years was actively associated with farming interests in 
Keokuk county, was born in Loraine county, Ohio, February 12, 1818. 
His father, Amos Richmond, was a native of New York and was of 
English parentage. He spent the days of his youth in the Empire state, 
acquired his education in its public schools and remained with his par- 
ents until he had attained early manhood. He served his country 
throughout the war of 1812 and when a young man left the Empire 
state and removed westward to Ohio, settling in Loraine county, where 
he carried on the work of tilling the soil. He was married in that county 
to Miss Alvira Bronson, a native of Connecticut, where she was reared 
and educated. They were the parents of eight children, five sons and 
three daughters. 

Chauncy Richmond is the eldest son and now the only surviving 
member of the family. He spent his early childhood in the county of 
his nativity and is indebted to its public school system for the educational 
privileges he enjoyed. He remained at home until fifteen years of age 
and then went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he became connected with the 
tanning business, which he followed there for three years. He next 
became a sailor upon Lake Erie, and after a year spent in that way he 
left Cleveland, removing to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he secured 
a position as a watchman on the steamboat Favorite, on which vessel 
he made the trip from Pittsburg down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers 
to New Orleans and thence across the gulf of Mexico to Mobile, Ala- 
bama. He remained upon the Favorite throughout the winter, but in the 
spring returned to New Orleans and thence made his way up the Missis- 



212 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sippi river to St. Louis, Missouri. From there he went to Louisville, 
Kentucky, and ran on a boat from that city to Pittsburg, remaining in 
that position for about a year. Leaving the boat at Louisville, he pro- 
ceeded to St. Louis and from there went up the river to Warsaw, Illi- 
nois, where he engaged in farming, remaining there for about three 
years. 

During that period Mr. Richmond was married on the 27th of 
February, 1841, in Carthage, Hancock county, Illinois, the lady of his 
choice being Miss Elizabeth Marsh, a daughter of Benjamin Frankhn 
Marsh, a native of Vermont, and a sister of Colonel B. F. Marsh, who 
was a soldier of the Civil war and has since been prominent in politics 
in Illinois. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Richmond has been blessed 
with eight children, four sons and four daughters, of whom three sons 
and three daughters are yet living. The family record is as follows ; 
Benjamin F. ; Charles Amos, now deceased ; Sophia R., who died in in- 
fancy; Charlotte A., the wife of Bacon Holmes, of Smith county, 
Kansas ; Elvira R., the wife of Delbert Hoyt, a retired farmer living in 
Webster; Arthur M. ; Alice B., the wife of Joseph Herrick, of German 
township, Keokuk county ; and George H., who completes the family. 

After his marriage Mr. Richmond left Illinois and went to LaGrange 
county, Indiana, where he settled upon a farm which he had bought, all 
of which was then raw land, but he made excellent improvements upon 
it and transformed it into an excellent property. All of the children 
were born upon that farm. In 1865 Mr. Richmond removed with his 
family to Iowa, settling in English River township, Keokuk county, 
near Webster. He secured one hundred and sixty acres of improved 
land and continued its further cultivation and improvement until 1891, 
when he put aside the work of the fields and removed to Webster, where 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 213 

he built a house in which he is now living in the enjoyment of a well 
earned rest. He was energetic and active in the prosecution of his 
work, reliable in his business transactions and of strong purpose, and 
those qualities brought to him a competence which now supplies him 
with all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 

From its organization Mr. Richmond has been identified with the 
Republican party, and bis study of the political issues of the day and the 
attitude of the parties concerning public questions has never caused 
him to want to change his political allegiance. He and his wife have long 
been Congregationalists in religious faith and their membership is now 
with the church of that denomination in Webster. They are both highly 
respected residents of the town, well worthy of representation among 
the valued citizens of their adopted county. 



JOHN EXGELDINGER. 

Among the many worthy foreigners who have come to this country 
and helped make it what it is and rendered uncleared land to flourish 
and blossom like the rose is the family of our subject. John Engeldinger, 
the father of our subject, was a Prussian, a farmer by occupation, reared 
and educated in his native land, and married Anna Mary Nittler, also of 
Prussia. They had six children, of whom our subject was the fourth 
child, three boys and three girls: Anna, Mary, Nicholas (deceased), 
John, Peter and Anna, all of whom were born and reared in Prussia. 
In j 855 the father and family came to Keokuk county and settled on 
forty acres of raw land in Clear Creek township ; this land he cleared, 
and he built the first log house this side of Clear Creek. He died in 1862 



214 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and was buried in the church burying ground of the Catholic church of 
Clear Creek, of which he had been a member. In politics he was a 
Democrat. 

John Engeldinger, the subject of this sketch, was born May II, 
1844, in Prussia; he was reared in Keokuk county and remained on the 
home place until after his father's death. In 1889 he came to his pres- 
ent location and bought eighty acres, mostly uncleared land, which he 
improved and added to until now he has one hundred and eighty acres 
of valuable farming land. Mr. Engeldinger took as his wife in 1868 
Susan Schilz, who was born in Germany in 1844, where she was reared: 
she was the daughter of Peter and Marguerette Schilz, who were old 
settlers in this county. Nine children were born to our subject, six boys 
and three girls: Peter, Susan, John C, Henry, Edward, George. August, 
Anna and Mary T., all of whom were reared and educated on the old 
homestead. 

Mr. Engeldinger is a faithful member of the Catholic church of 
Clear Creek township ; he helped to build the present edifice, and he 
has always taken an active part in school affairs, having served as trustee 
for twelve years. As a zealous and active Democrat, he was for eight 
years township trustee and also holds other local offices. In all affairs he 
has shown himself earnest, active and loyal and is one of the well known 
men of the county. 

JOSEPH A. RANGGER. 

Father Rangger is one of the most prominent workers in the 
Catholic church in this section and has devoted many years of his 
life to the advancement of its cause among his fellow-men. His influ- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR ) . 215 

ence is ever found on the side of progress, of liberty and of right, and 
the effect of his labors has been far reaching. He is the loved pastor 
of the church in Clear Creek township, Keokuk county. Father Rangger 
was born in Voels, near Innsbruck, in the Tyrol. Austria, on the [6th 
of January, 1867, while his father was also a native of that country 
and was a farmer by occupation, being born on the farm on which the 
Rangger family have resided for three hundred years. For his wife he 
chose Victoria Woerndle. also a native of Austria, having been born and 
reared in the region of the Alps. This union resulted in the birth of 
eight children, four sons and four daughters, as follows : Katherine 
and Mary, both deceased; Juliana; Francis; Anna: Joseph A., the subject 
of this review ; Marcus, who is now a priest in Vienna, Austria ; and 
Anthony, who still resides on the old home farm in Austria, where the 
children were all born and reared. 

When twelve years of age Joseph A. Rangger entered a seminary 
at Brixen, where he remained for three years, and on the expiration of 
that period in 1881, he became a student in the Royal Gymnasium at 
Halle, there continuing his studies for two years, while for the following- 
year he was at Innsbruck. When but eighteen years of age he bade 
adieu to the home of his youth and crossed the broad Atlantic to the 
United States, and after his arrival in the new world he completed his 
studies in the St. Francis Seminary, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where 
he remained until 1891. In that year he was ordained to the priesthood by 
Eishop Cosgrove, and shortly afterward returned on a visit to his native 
Austria, spending six months amid friends and relatives and viewing 
again the scenes of his boyhood and youth. After his return to America 
he made his way to Wilton Junction, Iowa, where for three months he 
ministered to the needs of the parish, their regular pastor, Father Duggan, 






216 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

being then ill. His next place of residence was at Davenport, Iowa, 
where for four months he had charge of a hospital, while for the follow- 
ing three months he served as a substitute to the church at Perry, this 
state. 

Since the 14th of April, 1893, he has ministered to the needs of 
tlu congregation in Clear Creek township, and during his pastorate the 
old brick church, which was erected in 1863, has been replaced by a new 
and beautiful edifice, the school building repaired and a new parsonage 
erected at an expense of two thousand, five hundred dollars. During 
this time the Sisters have taken charge of the school and the attendance 
has increased one hundred per cent. Through the entiring efforts of 
Father Rangger congregation increased so rapidly that it became 
necessarv to secure larger accommodations, and accordingly in 1898 they 
laid the foundation for the present structure. The laying of the corner 
stone, on Wednesday, June 8, 1898, for this beautiful edifice, was one 
of the most notable events in the history of Catholicism in Clear Creek 
township, and was witnessed by from fifteen hundred to two thousand 
people. It was an impressive ceremony and one that will long be remem- 
bered by those who were present. The old church witnessed the pass- 
ing of a generation, and there the ancestors of the present congregation 
went to worship and offer up prayer and also to listen to the divine 
words of their pastor. The sermon was conducted by the Rt. Rev. Bishop 
Cosgrove, assisted by the visiting clergy and the cost of the building 
was about eleven thousand, five hundred dollars. Father Rangger is 
widely known in Catholic circles throughout this section of the state, 
and his daily life has been a light guiding many to the better way. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 217 

NICHOLAS KRAMER. 

It is an evidence of stability of character when a man has remained 
and been successful throughout his life in one place, and it is upon such 
men that the nation's faith and strength depend. Such a man is Nich- 
olas Kramer, who was born in Keokuk county and has lived here for 
more than fifty years. His father, John I'eter Kramer, was a German, 
and received his training in the excellent institutions of that sturdy na- 
tion. In 1840, when he was about thirty years of age, he emigrated 
to America and took up his abode first in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but 
in 1843 h e moved westward and settled in Lafayette township, Keokuk 
county, Iowa, before this now great state had been admitted to the 
Union. Here he entered three hundred and twenty acres of raw land 
from the government and by industrious toil soon possessed an improved 
and highly cultivated farm. He also entered and enclosed four hun- 
dred acres more. He was then one of the earliest settlers of Keokuk 
county; his political views were Democratic and his church membership 
was with the Roman Catholic church in Clear Creek township. He 
died in this county about 1887. In 1844, in Keokuk county, he was 
man ied to Anna Kelson, who was born and reared in Germany and came 
to this country soon after Mr. Kramer did. Mr. and Mrs. Kramer 
were the parents of two children: Nicholas, our subject; and Lena, who 
was reared in Keokuk county, but is now deceased; the latter was the wife 
of John Bermel, whose sketch will be found in another part of this book. 

Nicholas Kramer was born on his father's farm in this county on 
September 22, 1850. Like the othe 1- boys of the neighborhood he 
attended the district schools during the winter and worked on the farm 
in the summer. On leaving school at the age of eighteen, he helped 



218 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his father and was instrumental in clearing the farm. He continued 
with his father until his marriage, when he moved to the north of the 
old homestead and in 1876 settled on two hundred acres of mostly new 
land and has since improved and added to it until he now has two hun- 
dred and eighty acres, all improved. In 1875 Mr. Kramer wedded Jose- 
phine Conrad, who was born in Pennsylvania, but soon went to Wiscon- 
sin, where she lived until she was eight years old; she then came to 
Keokuk county with her parents and there grew to womanhood. Her 
parents were Jacob Conrad and Margueretta W'ilhelme, natives of Ger- 
many. To Mr. and Mrs. Kramer were born three children : John Peter, 
deceased; Margueretta; and Threasa C. Mr. Kramer belongs to 'lie 
Democratic party and has held several local township offices, for ten 
years being supervisor. He is a zealous member of the Harper Catholic 
church and is active in church affairs, being on the church board, and 
he also helped to build the church. Respected and esteemed by all, he 
is a valuable citizen. 

JOHN BERMEL. 

Perhaps no one foreign nation has contributed more sturdy men 
to the building up of agriculture in America than has Germany. The 
farms of German settlers are always well tilled and prosperous looking 
and are an ornament and model to the community. Our subject, John 
Bermel, is a descendant of one of these pioneers from the fatherland. 

Anton Bermel, born in Germany, came to America when he was 
about eighteen years of age and for a short time cast his lot in Ohio; 
he returned to the old country for a short time and his second coming 
ended in his taking up his residence on a farm in Muscatine county. 
Iowa, about 1850, being, therefore, one of the old settlers of the state, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 219 

and one of the enterprises in which he assisted was the building of the 
first railroad from Davenport, Iowa, west. He was always interested 
in the success of the Democratic party and was a member of the Catholic 
church. His death took place in Muscatine county when he was seventy- 
eight years old. His wife was Katherine Oiler; she lived in Germany 
until she was grown, and then she ventured, the first one of her family, 
to come alone to America, her parents following her the next year. She 
came directly to Iowa and was married to Mr. Bermel in Muscatine coun- 
ty. Five children were the fruit of the marriage, as follows : John 
Bermel, the eldest, Katherine, Paulina, Peter and Frank. 

John Bermel was born in Muscatine county, in April, 1855; in the 
district school of his neighborhood his young mind was trained and at 
his eighteenth year he began his practical life on his father's farm, where 
he worked for three years. At the age of twenty-one he married and 
went to farming in Lafayette township, Keokuk county ; it was on 
that farm that the first white man was born in the township. Taking 
up two hundred acres of land owned by his father-in-law, J. P. Kramer, 
by his own efforts he brought it under a fine state of cultivation. Mr. 
Bermel still owns the farm that he started with and is one of the success- 
ful agriculturists of the county. 

His first wife, whom he married in 1876, was Mary M.Kramer, born 
in 1857, an d one of the first children born in Lafayette township; she 
was the child of John Peter Kramer, whose history is recorded in another 
chapter. There were four children born of this marriage: John (de- 
ceased), Nicholas, Anton, and Christina. Mrs. Bermel passed away 
in 1890 and in 1892 Mr. Bermel took his second wife, Mary Mengold, a 
native of Scott county, Iowa, born July 19, i860, and her education 
was received for the most part in the schools of Davenport. She is 



220 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the mother of four children : William, Anna, Margueritte, and Agnes. 
Mr. Bermel is interested in the Democratic party, is school director, 
takes a prominent part in educational affairs, is a member of the Catho- 
lic church at Harper, and is well thought of wherever known. 



HARRY D. WILLIAMS. 

In commercial circles in Keota Harry D. Williams occupies a cred- 
itable and honorable position. He conducts a general store 3 dealing in 
drygoods and groceries, and his trade has reached gratifying propor- 
tions in recognition of his honorable business methods and because of 
the excellent line of goods which he carries. His commercial interests 
have brought to him a wide acquaintance and as he has gained many 
friends in Keokuk county we know that the history of his life will prove 
of interest to many of our readers. 

Mr. Williams was born in Marshall county, Indiana, on the nth 
of August, 1865. His father, J. H. Williams, was a native of West 
Virginia, whence he removed westward, becoming a factor in the devel- 
opment of the great Mississippi valley. In 1872 he removed to Keokuk 
county, locating in Keota, where he engaged in merchandising, continu- 
ing business along that line up to the time of his death, which occurred in 
April, 1884. . He was one of the pioneer merchants of the town and a 
respected and worthy citizen. He married Harriet Hawley, a native of 
Virginia, and the subject of this review was their only child. 

Harry D. Williams was a little lad of seven summers when he ac- 
companied his parents to Keota. Here he entered the public schools, 
acquiring a knowledge of the common branches of learning, and later he 
entered the Davenport Business College, in which he was graduated. He 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 221 

was also a student in the Wesleyan University at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 
for a time. He entered upon his business career in the capacity of a 
clerk in his father's store, and when nineteen years of age he began busi- 
ness on his own account in the building in which he is yet located. Al- 
though but a young man he is, however, one of the oldest merchants of 
the place, having for eighteen years been a representative of the trade 
interests of this town. He carries both drygoods and groceries and is 
enjoying a liberal patronage which he well merits. His attention has 
been given throughout his business career to this enterprise and because 
of his close application, his energy and perseverance, he has met with 
gratifying success. 

On the 22d of November, 1888, Mr. Williams was united in mar- 
riage to Nora Daiber, a daughter of Michael and Lizzie (Smeltzer) 
Daiber. She was born in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1867, and is a graduate of 
Keota high school. Three interesting children grace this union : Hazel 
D., H. Gale, and George D.. who are still under the parental roof. The 
parents hold membership in the United Presbyterian church and are 

highly esteemed people of the community, who enjoy the hospitality of 
the best homes here. In manner Mr. Williams is kindly and genial, and 

his genuine worth and jovial nature have made him a popular resident 

of Keokuk county. 

DAVID KEISER. 

The story of the discovery of gold in California and early mining ex- 
periences there now read almost like a romance, so different are the pres- 
ent conditions of that state from those existing when the first rush was 
made to the gold fields. David Keiser was among those who at that 



222 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

early clay sought a fortune on the Pacific coast and has many interesting 
incidents to relate of his life in California. Three times he made the trip 
to the coast, but eventually he turned his attention to farming in Keokuk 
county, Iowa, and having prospered in his undertakings so that he won 
a handsome competence, he is now living a retired life in Keota. 

Mr. Keiser is a native of Perry county, Pennsylvania, born May 4, 
1828, and comes of an old family of German lineage that was founded 
in Lancaster county. Pennsylvania, prior to the Revolutionary war. 
Isaac Keis r, the father of our subject, was born in Lancaster county, 
but was reared and married in Perry county. A blacksmith by trade, 
for a number of years he conducted a shop in Bloomfield, Perry county, 
and when he sold his smithy he purchased a farm in that county, mak- 
ing it his home until 1846, when he came to Iowa, locating in Des 
Moines county near Burlington. His last days were spent in that city, 
where he died at the age of seventy-five years. The mother of our 
subject died when he was but two weeks old, he being the youngest of 
six children. The father afterward married a Miss Bower and to them 
were born three children. Of these nine children but two are now living: 
David, and his half-brother, Samuel Keiser, who lives in New London, 
Henry county, Iowa. 

David Keiser was eighteen years of age when he came to Iowa 
with his father. He worked in Burlington for two years at the wagon- 
maker's trade and for about a year was employed in the pineries of 
Michigan. In 1849, attracted by the discovery of gold in California, 
he made the long journey across the hot and arid sand plains and through 
the mountain passes with an ox-team, and after reaching his destination 
he worked in the mines for five years, meeting with splendid success 
and taking out as high as five thousand dollars in a single day. He 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR ) . 223 

also went through the experience^ of mining life there which now seem 
so marvelous, and the story of that five years is now an interesting 
chapter in his life's history. 

In 1854 Mr. Keiser returned to Iowa and the following year was 
united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Singmaster, a daughter of Samuel 
and Mary (Sweetwood) Singmaster. Her father was born in Berks 
county, Pennsylvania, and in 1846 came to Iowa, casting his lot with 
the pioneer settlers of Keokuk county, Iowa. He lived to the advanced 
age of ninety-one years, while his wife, who was a native of Berks 
county, Pennsylvania, reached the age of eighty-four years. They were 
the parents of nine children : Charles F., Sarah, Eliza, Thomas, James. 
Marietta, William, and two who died in infancy. Mrs. Keiser is the 
second child and eldest daughter and was born in Perry county, Penn- 
sylvania,, January 15, 1836. She was ten years of age when she came 
to Keokuk county, where she has since made her home. The wedding 
trip of Mr. and Mrs. Keiser consisted of a journey to California, and 
they were gone from home for six months. They went by <-he way of 
New York and returned by the Nicaragua route. On again reaching Iowa 
they located in Burlington. 

Mr. Keiser there engaged in the milling business, operating what 
was known as the Farmers' Grist-mill. About 1864, however, he sold 
that mill and again crossed the plains to California, with a pony train, 
visiting the Golden state and also Oregon. In the spring he returned 
by way of Oregon and Idaho, making the trip from the latter state to 
Iowa on horseback. He and his brothers were the discoverers of two 
deep mines at Georgetown and Mammaluke Hills, which Lecame known 
as the Keiser mines, and have yielded much gold. On the return from 
from his third trip to California, Mr. Keiser purchased a farm about 



2_'4 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

seven miles west of Burlington, where he was engaged in general farm- 
ing and stock-raising for seven years. He then came to LaFayette 
township, Keokuk county, where he purchased a farm, which he con- 
ducted successfully until 1901, when he retired from active farm life 
and removed to Keota, where he is now living. He still owns three 
hundred and twenty acres in the home place, and has in all about five 
hundred acres of valuable land in this county. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Keiser has been blessed with six 
children: William S., a prominent farmer of South Dakota; Samuel I. 
and Charles O.. who are representative citizens of this county and are 
mentioned elsewhere in this work; Allie U., at home; Lola I., the wife 
of E. Gilbert, of Keota ; and John D., who is operating the home farm. 
The parents are earnest and consistent members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal church, in which Mr. Keiser is serving as trustee, and he belongs 
to Adelphi Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Mason of Keota. He is a 
stalwart Republican in his political views and is widely known as a lead- 
ing and highly respected citizen of the county. His residence in the state 
covers more than half a century and thus he has been a witness of much 
of its growth and development. His has been a somewhat eventful career, 
in which there have been some exciting chapters, but wherever he has 
been and in whatever condition of life, Mr. Keiser has commanded es- 
teem by his sterling worth and won friends by his genial nature and 
kindly disposition. 

CHARLES A. TRUMBAUER, M. D. 

Exacting demands are made upon the physician. Of him we demand 
not only a thorough knowledge of the medical science and marked skill 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 225 

in his profession, but also a genial nature, a sunny disposition and kindly 
sympathy. ' Dr. Trumbauer, meeting these requirements, has already 
gained success as a member of the medical fraternity, although he is yet 
a young man. He was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, November 
30, 1870, and comes of a family of German lineage. His father, Addi- 
son Trumbauer, was born and reared in Pennsylvania and by occupation 
was a farmer. He removed to Iowa in 1884, locating in Independence, 
Buchanan county, on the 3d of April of that year. He now resides at 
Waterloo, this state. In early manhood lie wedded Mary Romig, a 
native of Pennsylvania, who was of Holland descent and who died at the 
age of fifty-two voars. This worthy couple were the parents of ten chil- 
dren, of whom five daughters and three sons are yet living. 

Dr. Trumbauer is the fourth child and the second son of this family 
and was thirteen years of age at the time of their removal to Iowa. His 
education, which was begun in the schools of Pennsylvania, was con- 
tinued in this state and for two years he was a student in the high school 
of Jesup, Iowa. When he was eighteen years of age his father gave him 
his time, and for five months thereafter he was employed in the insane 
hospital at Independence. He then entered Central College, at Pella, 
Iowa, where he pursued a three years' preparatory course. He then 
went to Kansas and entered the normal at St. John and in the fall of the 
same year became a student in the Keokuk Medical College, of Keokuk 
Iowa, where he was graduated in the spring of 1897. Dr. Trumbauer 
then located at Eldon, Iowa, where he remained for six months, and in 
August of the same year he took up his abode at Harper, in Keokuk 
county, Iowa, where he was in practice until January, 1902, when he 
located at Keota. He has already won recognition here by reason of his 



226 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

skill in practice and his thorough understanding of the principles of the 
medical science. 

On the 25th of March, 1897, the Doctor was united in marriage 
to Laura L. Bryson, a daughter of J. K. and Harriet (Dunham) Bryson. 
Socially the Doctor is connected with the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. In his political views he is independent when casting his ballot 
at local elections, supporting the men whom he thinks best qualified for 
office. He belongs to the Baptist church and is deeply interested in 
everything pertaining to the general good along social, intellectual and 
moral lines. His professional connection is with the Keokuk County 
Medical Society and he now has a good practice, being recognized as one 
of the leading physicians of the county. 

H. H. REINERT. 

H. H. Reinert is proprietor of the leading drugstore of Keota, an 
establishment which would be a credit to a city of greater size because 
of its neat and tasteful appearance, the excellent line of goods carried 
and the obliging courtesy of the proprietor. Mr. Reinert is one of 
Iowa's native sons, his birth having occurred in Sigourney, November 
8, 1871. He is the fourth child of Michael and Mary (Horras) Reinert 
and comes of a family of German lineage. He was reared and educated 
in this state, pursuing his studies in the public schools of Sigourney, 
and he entered upon his business career in the capacity of a clerk with 
his brother, C. C. Reinert, at South English, in whose service he re- 
mained for two years. Later he was salesman in the employ of J. E. 
Graft", in Sigourney, and afterwards, purchased his brother's store and 
conducted it for several years. Me then became connected with the drug 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 227 

trade in Tipton, Iowa, where he remained for about two years, having 
also purchased a store there. In April, 1901, he came to Keota, where 
he established his drugstore and is now doing an excellent business, hav- 
ing the leading establishment of its kind in the town. His experience 
in the business covers eleven years and his marked success is attributed 
to the fact that he is thorough and painstaking in all that he does. In 
February, 1896, he passed the state examination before the board of 
pharmacy and was the only one who passed in a class of fourteen appli- 
cants. During his residence in other towns he gained *he confidence 
and esteem of a large circle of patrons and friends, and his history in 
Keota is similar. He carries a large and well selected stock of goods — 
drugs, proprietary medicines, toilet articles, and a large and varied line 
of jewelry, silverware, clocks, watches and diamonds. The fine display 
of toilet articles and other goods, with the jewelry, tastefully arranged, 
add to the attractiveness and value of the stock. Neatness and taste 
characterize the store in every department, and Mr. Reinert now has a 
very liberal patronage, which is constantly growing. 

On the 30th of October, 1898, Mr. Reinert was united in marriage 
to Ressa Warner, a daughter of Edward and Celia (Munn) Wagner. 
She was bcrn in Iowa rcunty, Iowa, and pursued her education in the 
public schools of this state and in Fremont, Nebraska, also taking a com- 
mercial course in a business college of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is the 
eldest in a family of seven children and is a most estimable lady, who 
shares with her husband in the regard of their many friends. Mr. 
Reinert belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, and is also a member of the Eastern Star and the 
Rebekahs, the ladies' degrees of those organizations. In politics he is 
independent, voting for the men whom he thinks best qualified for office. 



228 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

He holds membership in the Catholic church, in the faith of which he was 
reared. In Keota he is a popular merchant, genial, courteous, and oblig- 
ing, and well does he deserve the success which has come to him, making 
him one of the leading business men of his town. 

MICHAEL REINERT. 

Michael Reinert, one of the old settlers, of Keokuk county, Iowa, 
whose fine, well improved farm of one hundred and forty-seven acres 
is located in German township, is one of the prosperous and well-known 
farmers, who, although born in another country, has become a valued 
citizen of this. Mr. Reinert was born in Prussia, Germany, January i, 
1843, and is the youngest of four sons and three daughters constituting 
the family born to John and Angelica (Leinen) Reinert, both of whom 
were also born in Germany, where they lived all their lives. Michael 
attended the common schools in his native land until he was thirteen 
years old and then was employed by neighboring farmers to assist them 
and continued to be so employed until he started for America. In 1861 
he reached New York and came on to Keokuk county, Iowa, working 
at farm labor through the summers of 1861 and 1862. In the fall of 
the latter year he enlisted for service in the Civil war, entering Company 
B, Second Iowa Volunteer Infantry, as a private, and performed the 
duties of a faithful soldier until the spring of 1864, when on the 27th of 
May of that year he was mustered out, having received an honorable 
discharge. 

After completing his army service, our subject returned to Keokuk 
county, and was soon engaged at farm work by the month ; continuing 
with various farmers of the county until 1865. In February of that 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 229 

year he was united in marriage with Mary A. Horas, who was born 
in Germany and came to America with her parents when she was an 
infant. She was reared and educated in Keokuk county and is an admir- 
able housekeeper, a kind neighbor and a most devoted and helpTul wite 
and mother. A family of nine children was born to this union, their 
names being the following: Frank, who is a porter in one of the leading 
hotels at Long Branch. Xew Jersey ; Casper, who is a druggist, is now 
engaged in real estate business in North Dakota ; Charles, who is a 
farmer in German township, married Jennie Killmer; Henry H., who is 
a druggist at Keota, Keokuk county, married Ressa Wagner; William, 
who is a farmer in Clear Creek township, married Lucy Klett ; Miss 
Bertha, who resides at home: Bessie, who is the wife of John Strupp, 
a prominent farmer of German township: Gustave A., who is a farmer in 
North Dakota ; and Fred, who has enjoyed a college education, resides at 
home. 

Immediately after marriage Mr. Reinert took up his residence upon 
his present farm, the home being in a log cabin standing on the place. 
His energy and industry have made wonderful improvements which 
have changed the whole appearance of the place. His residence is one 
of comfort and convenience, his barns are substantial and commodious, 
while the other improvements show the thrift and good management 
which prevail on this place. Mr. Reinert engages in general farming 
and stock-raising and has been very successful in all his efforts. He is 
regarded as one of the substantial men of German township. 

During the war our subject was a staunch Republican, but in late 
years he has been more liberal and generally votes in local matters for the 
man lie feels best qualified for office. His own reliability and the esti- 
mation in which he is held by his neighbors, has been demonstrated by his 



230 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

election to almost all of the township offices ; he has performed the duties 
of trustee, school director, clerk and others, with the utmost efficiency. 
Mr. Reinert is a very prominent member of the Grand Army of the 
Republic, belonging to the Robert F. Lowe Post, in Sigourney. He is 
the intelligent promoter of all worthy enterprises for improvement in 
the township, votes and works for good schools and good roads and is 
in every way worthy of the high esteem in which he is held. 



JOHN LINN RAMSEY. 

J. L. Ramsey, the subject of this review, is a self-made man who 
without any extraordinary family or pecuniary advantages at the com- 
mencement of life has labored earnestly and energetically and by indomit- 
able courage and integrity has achieved both character and fortune and 
by sheer force of will and untiring effort he worked his way upward and 
was during many years a leading business man of Keota, and at the pres- 
ent time he is living a retired life there. 

Mr. Ramsey was born in Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, on 
the 17th of September, 1830. His father, Eben. Ramsey, was also a 
native of the old Granite state and by occupation was a farmer. His 
lather, Samuel Ramsey, came from Scotland to the new world in colonial 
days and when the Revolutionary war was begun he joined the army and 
fought for the independence of the nation. He married Elizabeth Wil- 
son and settled in Greenfield, Hillsboro county, New Hampshire, upon 
a farm. He entered his land from the government and improved the 
property, becoming one of the active and honored pioneer settlers of the 
locality. The father of our subject having arrived at years of maturity, 
was united in marriage to Mary D. Butler, a relative of Franklin Pierce, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 233 

once president of the United States, also of Horace Greeley and of Gen- 
eral Benjamin Butler. Mrs. Ramsey was born in Bennington, New 
Hampshire, and was a daughter of Moody Butler, whose birth occurred in 
the old Granite state, the Butlers being a pioneer family there. The}' were 
of Scotch-Irish descent. Unto the parents of our subject were born 
four sons. The father died in 1836 and the mother afterward married 
again, becoming the wife of Amzi Jones, by whom she had two sons and 
one daughter. Her death occurred at the advanced age of eighty-five 
years. 

J. L. Ramsey, of this review, is the second son born of the first mar- 
riage. He remained in his native place until sixteen years of age and 
in 1846 removed to western New York, locating at Yates, about forty 
miles from the city of Buffalo. He went there with a Mr. Grant and his 
cousin, David B. Ramsey, and for a year he attended school and after- 
ward engaged in teaching in that locality for two years. In 1849 be 
sought a new home, locating near Lexington, Kentucky, where he en- 
gaged in teaching for about a year. He then went to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
and secured a position on the Dayton & Hamilton Railroad, acting as 
fireman for six months. He was then promoted to engineer, acting in 
that capacity in Ohio until 1854, when he became a resident of Chicago. 
There he entered the service of the Rock Island Railroad Company as an 
engineer, the road at that time having just been extended to Peoria. He 
was one of the first engineers on the line and he traveled all over the 
road on construction trains, remaining in the employ of the company for 
twenty-five years. He also had charge of the round house of Chicago, at 
Rock Island, Peoria and Peru. During the last years of his connection 
with the company he acted as station agent in Bureau Junction, Illinois. 
He was one of the most trusted employes of the company — a fact which 



234 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

is well indicated by his long service covering a quarter of a century. 

In 1880 Mr. Ramsey came to Keokuk county, Iowa, locating in Ke- 
ota, where he engaged in the grain business, building the first elevator 
at this place. When a young man in the employ of the railroad he had 
run an engine from Chicago to Rock Island and there transferred his 
load to coal barges, which were sent down the river to Muscatine, low a. 
He also hauled the material which was used to build the Wilton branch 
of the Chicago & Rock Island road from Wilton Junction to Muscatine, 
so that he had previously visited the state prior to locating in Keota. He 
continued in the grain trade here until 1893, when he sold out and re- 
tird from active business to enjoy a well deserved rest from further labor. 

On the 28th of January, 1857, Mr. Ramsey was united in marriage 
to Mary E. Nelson, who was born in Lexington, Kentucky, December 
14. 1833, a daughter of George and Elizabeth (Taylor) Nelson, the 
former a native of Kentucky while the latter was born near Richmond, 
Virginia. Mrs. Ramsey is their only child and was reared and educated 
in her native place. By her marriage she has become the mother of six 
children: Elizabeth, the widow of Forrest Green; Virginia, the wife of 
Dr. J. W. Blythin, a resident of Gordon, Wisconsin, John N., who 
wedded May Newton and resides in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Georgia T., 
the wife of A. A. Hulse, a merchant of Keota; Eben J., a furniture dealer 
of this place; and Emma C, the wife of Charles B. Galbreath, who re- 
sides in Carroll, Iowa. 

Mr. Ramsey is a staunch Republican in politics, and has been from 
the organization of the party. In an early day he was personally ac- 
quainted with many of the leading men in politics, including such celebri- 
ties as John A. Logan, General Sherman, Richard Yates, Sr. He has 
held several positions of honor and trust. For twelve years he served 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 235 

as mayor of Keota and his administration was practical and progres- 
sive, largely promoting the welfare of the town. For about fifteen 
years he was a member of the school board, taking an active interest 
in everything pertaining to the general good here, his labors being very 
effective in behalf of the same. He is a prominent Mason, belonging to 
Adelphi Lodge No. 353, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
at Keota. He was an organizer of the council of the fraternity 
at Peru, Illinois, the chapter at Rock Island, and belongs to the comman- 
dery at Washington, Iowa. In the Scottish Rite he has attained the 
thirty-second degree. He has also held all of the offices in the Blue lodge, 
the council and commandery. He was also grand engineer of the Broth- 
erhood of Locomotive Engineers, and is a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, though for years he has not been active as such. 
Mr. Ramsey is a gentleman who at all times and in all places has com- 
manded the respect and esteem of his fellow men. His life has been 
characterized by fidelity to duty, whether in or out of office — and faith- 
fulness to duty and strict adherence to a purpose in life will do more 
to advance a man's interest than wealth or advantageous circumstances. 
The successful men of the day are they who have planned their own ad- 
vancement and have accomplished it in spite of many obstacles anil with 
a certainty that could have been attained only through their own efforts. 
This class of men has a worthy representative in J. L. Ramsey. 



CHARLES A. JOHNSON. 
Charles A. Johnson, the father of the leading physician of Sigour- 
ney, Iowa, Dr. Johnson, was born May 8, 1825, at Yster, Sweden, a son 
of Peter and Boel Johnson, who passed their whole lives in that country 



236 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and reared a family of eleven daughters and one son. At the age of 
sixteen years, this son left home and traveled from place to place, work- 
ing at tailoring, through Sweden, Norway, Russia, England and France. 
After an absence of eight years he returned to the old home and for 
three years conducted a tailoring shop there, but he started then upon 
his travels again, which landed him in New York in September, 1851. 
He remained in this city until the following April and during this time 
met and was warmly welcomed by his famous cousin, the Swedish night- 
ingale, Jenny Lind. From New York City he drifted to Albany, thence 
to Buffalo, Dunkirk, Detroit and then to Chicago, leaving the latter 
place hurriedly on account of the prevalence of cholera. For a short 
time he was at La Salle, Illinois, and then remained for six months in 
Princeton, went then to Peoria, on to St. Louis, to Burlington and Fair- 
field, Iowa, and on May 24, 1854, located at Lancaster, Iowa, where 
he opened a tailoring establishment. 

In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, Thirteenth Iowa 
Infantry, and served his adopted country faithfully for three years 
and two months and is now an honored member of the Grand Army of 
the Republic. In 1855 he married Mary Gray, who became the mother 
of eight children, and died in 1896. In 1900 he married Mrs. Eliza 
(Davenport) Roberts. Mr. Johnson has traveled over almost all of the 
west and has spent considerable time in Kansas and Colorado. 



ALBERT P. JOHNSON, B. C. E, M. D. 

Albert P. Johnson, M. D., is a leading physician of Sigourney, Towa- 
in which state he was born, in the village of Lancaster, Keokuk county, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 237 

May 29, 1862, and lie is the son of Charles A. and Mary G. (Gray) 
Johnson, who are mentioned above. 

The rearing of Dr. Johnson was among farm surroundings and 
his education was obtained in the public schools, later becoming an 
instructor himself in the country neighborhoods. After a year of teach- 
ing he entered the Iowa State Agricultural College, where he graduated 
in the department of civil engineering in November, 1886. Prior to 
this, however, he had spent two years engager' in surveying in Wyom- 
ing and New Mexico, and immediately after graduating was offered 
and accepted the principalship of the schools of What Cheer, Iowa. 
Two more years were devoted to civil engineering in the upper peninsula 
of Michigan, and then he was prepared to put into oj "ation a plan 
which had been his desire from youth, that of studying medicine. In 
1889 he entered the Missouri Medical College at St. Louis, Missouri, 
and graduated therefrom in 1891, locating at Sigourney, where he 
has since remained. In 1892 he took a post-graduate . course in the 
Post-Graduate School of Medicine, at St. Louis, and thus thoroughly 
equipped, has built up a large and lucrative general practice. 

Dr. Johnson is not only educated in his special line, but, as we 
have seen, is thoroughly competent to fill other professional positions. 
He is a deep thinker and great student and keeps abreast of the dis- 
coveries in his science, and is an active and useful member of Keokuk 
coilnty, the South-eastern Iowa and the Iowa State medical societies, 
and is also a member of the insane commission for Keokuk county. 
In politics he is a Republican, but his strenuous life leaves little time 
for activity in that direction. His fraternal connection is with the 
Knights of Pythias. In 1891 Dr. Johnson was united in marriage 



238 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

with Miss Viola Passig, of Sigourney, and one son has been born to 
this union, namely Alcuin Passig. 

LEONARD BRIGGS OLIVER, M. D. 

Among the representative physicians and surgeons of Iowa, Dr. 
Leonard Briggs Oliver, of Sigourney, occupies a prominent place. 
He was born in Davenport, Iowa, January _'o, 1858. His parents were 
Albourne and Eliza (Newhall) Oliver, both natives of Massachusetts. 
The progenitor of the Oliver family in America came from England 
and settled in Boston as early as 1632. Our subject's parents removed 
from Massachusetts to Iowa in 1856. They located in Davenport, and 
here spent the rest of their lives. The father died in 1877, aged sixty- 
three years. The mother's death occurred several years later, she being 
sixty-seven years of age at her demise. In Massachusetts, during his 
early life, the father was successfully engaged in the manufacture of 
morocco leather, but after removing to Davenport the remainder of his 
days were spent in partial retirement. Unto these parents twelve chil- 
dren were born, our subject being the tenth in the order of birth. 

He received a liberal literary education, and in the fall of 1884 
entered the medical department of the Iowa State University, where he 
graduated three years later. Locating at Dublin, Washington county, 
Iowa, he practiced there with success for a period of three years. He 
then took a post-graduate course at the Chicago Post-Graduate school 
and in May of 1891 located in Sigourney. where he has continued in an 
active general practice, also doing much work in surgery. He has 
gained reputation as a skillful physician and surgeon. In surgery he 
has performed innumerable and successful operations, and is local sur- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 239 

geon for the Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific Railway, and is a member 
of the International Society of Railway Surgeons. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Keokuk count)- and the Iowa state medical associations. The 
I >octor is a Knight Templar Mason and a member of the Mystic Shrine 
— Kaaba Temple, Davenport. 

GEORGE B. BAKER. 

The subject of this review, who holds marked prestige among the 
members of the bar of Keokuk county, is a lawyer who is using his pro- 
fession for the benefit of his fellow-man, to advance the interests of 
good government, to promote the general welfare, entertaining a just 
conception of the purpose of law as the conservator of the rights of the 
people, as the protector of the weak against the strong, the just against 
the unjust. As few men do, he will live to realize some of the ideals of 
the profession to which he devotes himself, and his reputation as a 
young lawyer has been won through earnest, honest labor, and his high 
standing at the bar is a merited tribute to his ability. 

Mr. Baker is at the present time a resident of the stirring com- 
munity of Hedrick. in whose marvellous advancement he takes a keen 
interest. He was born in Placerville, California, October 13, 1870, and 
is a son of Adam M., and Mary ( Engledeiger) Baker. 'Mr. Adam 
Baker was a native of Germany, emigrating to this country when a 
lad of sixteen. He located in Iowa in 1838, settling first in Washington 
county, but in 1858 he moved to California. He came to Keokuk 
county in 1873, and located in German township, where he died at the 
age of sixty-seven vears, and where his wife still continues to reside. 

Mr. Baker is one of seven children, and was but three years of age 






240 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

when he came Keokuk county. He was reared on a farm, where he 
passed his boyhood days quietly, and in the district schools of German 
township acquired his elementary education. He later became a matric- 
ulate of the Iowa City Academy, where he graduated in 1889. For 
a period following he taught school in the district schools of Keokuk 
county, and deciding upon law as a profession, began his reading. He 
was for a number of years engaged in the drug business. In 1897 he 
sold out this business and entered the law department of the Iowa State 
University, where he graduated, on the 7th of June, 1899, with the 
degree of LL. B. He located immediately at Hedrick, and has since 
been engaged in the practice of his profession. Here he has secured 
the confidence of the public to a marked extent, and is gradually build- 
ing up a lucrative practice. 

Mr. Baker was marreid in 1893 t0 Ella Jester, of Marshalltown, 
Iowa. This lady was the daughter of William and Martha Jester, and 
has borne her husband two children : Marie and Millard F. The social 
life of Mr. Baker takes in a number of the prominent fraternal organ- 
izations, he being a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Wood- 
men of America, and the M. B. A. In political affiliations he is an 
earnest supporter of the principles of the party of Lincoln and Gar- 
field. Mr. Baker is an example of what any young man of hustling 
qualities can do in this western country without assistance from any 
source and depending entirely upon his own exertions. He is a rep- 
resentative of that class of citizens who deserve and receive recognition 
at the hands of an admiring public. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR) . 241 

DR. J. W. PORTER. 

An instance of what persistence and concentrated effort will do for 
a man in any given line coupled with a mental temperament and educa- 
tional equipment adapted to that line may be found in the case of Dr. 
j. W. Porter of Hedrick. In the twenty-three years of his practice 
this gentleman has made for himself a reputation unsurpassed in Keo- 
kuk county, as a general practitioner, his broad and comprehensive 
knowledge of therapeutics causing him to be much sought after. He 
is a deep student of the profession, and is always on the alert for new- 
methods of the treatment of disease. He was the very first physician 
that located in the city of Hedrick, and has always commanded a large 
and lucrative practice. 

Mentioning briefly the salient points in the life of Dr. Porter, his 
birth occurred in Bourbon county, Kentucky, March 24, 1854, he being 
the son of Rev. H. C. Porter and Jane Dougherty. His parents were 
natives also of the Blue-grass state. Rev. Porter was reared in Paris, 
the county seat of Bourbon county, and educated at Georgetown Col- 
lege. He passed an active life in the ministry of the Baptist church, 
and is still living at the age of eighty years, though he has retired from 
the active work of the ministry. Dr. Porter's mother died in 1871. There 
were ten children in the family of which he was a member, eight of whom 
are still living, the doctor being the eldest of these children. Amid the 
refining influences of a good home our subject was reared, and in the 
public schools he secured his scholastic training, completing the pre- 
scribed literarv course in the Normal school at Ottumwa. For ten 
and a half successive terms he engaged in teaching in the public 
schools. During this time, having decided to make the medical profes- 



242 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sion his life work, lie began reading with Dr. W. B. Searle, of Ottum- 
\va, and matriculating at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of 
Chicago he became a graduate there in 1889. To evidence the light 
in which Dr. Porter regards his profession, and to show his character 
as a student, we note here that he has taken four special courses since 
that time in Chicago, and several others in different branches of his 
profession. He first located at Long's Mill, Iowa, but on the organiza- 
tion of the town of Hedrick he cast in his lot here, as stated, being 
the first physician on the ground. This was in the year of 1882, and 
he has been constantly engaged in that profession in the city of Hedrick 
since that time. During that time the doctor has kept himself in close 
touch with his brother physicians through being a member of the Des 
Moines Valley Medical Society, and of the Keokuk County Medical 
Society. In religious belief Dr. Porter favors the Baptist faith, of 
which church he is a member at Hedrick. The doctor was united in 
marriage September 3, 1882, to Miss Phoebe Ebelsheiser, daughter of 
John and Caroline Ebelsheiser, old settlers of Keokuk county, where 
Mrs. Porter was born. To this marriage there were born one son and 
one daughter : Mamie, and James Arthur. 



Joseph k. Mcelroy. 

Joseph K. McElroy is a well-known citizen and an old resident of 
the state. Since 1856 he has been identified with many of its business 
interests and has a wide acquaintance with its leading men. The 
birth of Joseph McElroy occurred May 2, 1836, in Columbiana county, 
Ohio, and he is a son of Hugh and Fredericka (Mueller) McElroy. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 243 

Hugh McElroy landed in Philadelphia, an Irish lad of twenty-one 
years, and almost immediately entered upon a successful business career. 
He was born near Belfast, count}- Down, on December 26, 1798, a son 
of Andrew and Mary Jane McElroy, who lived out their lives in their 
native Ireland. Securing a position as clerk in the great mercantile 
house of Dickie Hewey and Stephen Girard, he very soon attracted 
the attention of his employers and in less than two years was sent by 
diem to Pittsburgh to manage their flour shipments to New Orleans. 
Young Hugh accompanied the flour to the southern city on the flat-boat, 
as that was the means of transportation afforded at that time, but his 
impatience made him return by foot to Philadelphia, rather than await 
the slow river route. Another trip was successfully undertaken, and 
from this trip he returned by sea. 

Soon after, his business instincts and an adventurous spirit induced 
him to make his way to the new portions of Ohio and after making a 
trial venture in the mercantile business in Somerset, Perry county, he 
embarked on a larger scale at New Lisbon, in Columbiana county, 
operating a store and a distillery and introducing the first steam engine 
ever in use in the state. To conduct his business properly it was neces- 
sary for him to make frequent trips to various points and as this was 
prior to the building of any railroads in this vicinity, Mr. McElroy 
crossed the Allegheny mountains fifty-two times, either on horseback or 
by the lumbering old stage. In 1838 his business enterprise induced 
him to locate at Sidney, in Shelby county, Ohio, and here he became 
the first merchant and also built and operated a grist-mill, a carding- 
mill, a saw-mill and also a cooper shop, providing thus for the want- 
of the community, and accepting raw material in return for merchandise, 
a great accommodation on account of the scarcity of money in these 



244 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

regions. In 1840 he was one of the prime movers in the building of 
the Ohio Mainland canal, sixteen miles in length, which has a feeder lo- 
cated at Lockport, Ohio. After promoting all these activities, his ener- 
gies turned in another direction, and in 1850 he sold his interests and 
embarked in the business of pork packing, at Sidney, Ohio ; Madison, 
Indiana; Peoria, Illinois; Muscatine and Keokuk, Iowa; and Hannibal, 
Missouri. To buy pork he made his first trip to the west in 1856, mak- 
ing his head-quarters at Oskaloosa, Iowa, paying unheard of prices 
for the commodity and returning in the same business in 1857 and 1858. 
Mr. McElroy then disposed of his business and closed out his trade 
relations, and went back to his old home at Sidney. There as one of the 
leading capitalists, he opened a state bank, known as the Shelby State 
Bank, and continued his financial operations until his death in 1864. 
His was a remarkable career. Born with great natural gifts, he devel- 
oped them for the benefit of others as well as himself, and attached to 
him many of the leading men of his time. It was no secret that he was 
a valued adviser of Salmon P. Chase even after the latter had attained 
his high office in the government. 

In his early voting days, Hugh McElroy was a Whig, and later 
became a zealous Republican and exerted decided influence in his party. 
Mr. McElroy was twice married. His first wife was Frederica Muel- 
ler and was of German parentage, the three sons born them being: 
John Andrew, who resides at Beloit, Kansas; William B., who is de- 
ceased; and Joseph K., who is the subject of this biography. The death 
of William B. McElroy took place in 1857, in Sigourney, Iowa. He 
was a man of education, in earlier years had an adventurous life in 
whaling vessels, but later operated a hardware store in this city, where 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 245 

he was well known and respected. The second wife of Hugh McElroy 
was Ann Stephenson, by whom there were no children. 

Joseph K. McElroy was reared in Sidney, Ohio, and obtained his 
education there in the public schools. In 1856 he accompanied his 
father to Iowa, and upon the death of his brother, William, settled 
up the latter's business affairs at Sigourney. He then went back to Sid- 
ney and engaged in the hardware business, removing in 1859-60 to 
Marion, Indiana, in the same line of business, and in the spring of 
1863 located permanently in Sigourney and followed farming until 1865. 
Our subject then opened up a general store in this city, which he suc- 
cessfully conducted for a period of twelve years, selling out in order to 
enter upon a partnership with E. Laffer in another similar enterprise, 
which continued for two years, and for two more years he was asso- 
ciated with A. G. Brown in the dry-goods business. In 1889 Mr. Mc- 
Elroy first engaged in the hotel business in Sigourney, selling out three 
years later. He conducted hotels at several other points for short sea- 
sons, at Keota, and Winfield, and remained two years at Columbus Junc- 
tion, returning to Sigourney in 189S, at which time, in partnership with 
his son-in-law, C. C. Berry, he took charge of the Merchants Hotel. In 
the fall of 1902 he disposed of his interest in this business. 

Mr. McElroy has been a life-long supporter of the Republican party 
and well recalls the occasion of his first presidential vote, cast for John C. 
Fremont. He numbers many friends among the old residents of Sigour- 
ney and has been identified with much of the permanent development of 
Keokuk county. 

In 1858, at Sigourney, Mr. McElroy was united in marriage with 
Miss Harriet E. Cattell, and one daughter, Cora, was born to this union, 
she now being the wife of C. C. Berry. She was born in Marion, Ohio, 



246 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and her one son, Leonard, is now agent for the United States Express 
Company at Sigourney. 

The birth of Mrs. McElroy was in Stark county, Ohio, and she is a 
daughter of Samuel G. and Elizabeth (Hair) Cattell, the former of whom 
was born January u, 1812, at Mount Holly, New Jersey, and died in Si- 
gourney in February, 1900. His widow resides with her daughter, Mrs. 
McElroy. In 1857 Mr. Cattell located in Sigourney and followed an 
agricultural life. He was a quiet man of exemplary life and character, 
a consistent member of the Presbyterian church, and a good citizen. He 
voted with the Republican party. His two children were a son and 
daughter, the former of whom is John B. Cattell, a resident of Wichita, 
Kansas. For a number of years the mother of Mrs. Cattell lived in 
Sigourney and her venerable appearance is still recalled, as her age 
reached ninety years. A most interesting picture is in the possession of 
the family, which shows five generations together, all at one time resid- 
ing with our subject. 



JOSEPH H. WENGER. 

Joseph H. Wenger resides in Liberty township, where for many 
years he was an active factor in agricultural circles, but at the present 
time he is leaving the work of the farm to others and is enjoying a richly 
merited rest. He was born in Edom, Virginia, November 15, 1835, 
and comes of a family of German lineage. Christian Wenger, his pater- 
nal great-grandfather, was born in the Palatinate, Germany, where he 
remained until 1727, when he braved the dangers incident to an ocean 
voyage at that day and crossed the Atlantic to the new world. He 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 247 

located in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he married Eve Gre- 
biel and reared his family and made his home until his death. 

Among his children was Joseph Wenger, the grandfather of our 
subject. He was born, reared and educated in Lancaster county, Penn- 
sylvania, and in the year 1785 removed to Edom, Virginia, settling on a 
farm of between five hundred and six hundred acres, which he pur- 
chased, cleared and improved, making it a productive property. He 
there married Barbara Hoover and they become the parents of thirteen 
children, seven sons and six daughters. His first wife died in January, 
1792, and on the 1st of December. 1793, he married Anna Hockman, 
a native of Page county, Virginia, by whom he had five children, three 
sons and two daughters, of whom the eldest was Joseph Wenger, Jr., 
the father of our subject. His birth occurred in Edom. September 17, 
1794, and there he spent his early childhood, acquiring his education 
there and also following the occupation of farming in his youth. He 
was married April 28. 1818, to Barbara Beery, a native of the Old Do- 
minium born near Newmarket, March 12, 1795. and a daughter of John 
Beery, of Edom. To the parents of our subject were born ten children, 
five sons and five daughters: Catherine and John B., both deceased; 
Elizabeth, who is living in Georgia, at the age of eighty years; Isaac, 
who is now seventy-nine years of age ; Abraham, Anna, Jacob and Bar- 
bara, all deceased : Alary, who lives at the old homestead in Edom, Vir- 
ginia ; and Joseph H., of this review. 

After his marriage the father of our subject removed to the old 
homestead upon which all of his children were born. He was a farmer 
by occupation and there carried in agricultural pursuits until his life's 
labors were ended in death. February 14, 1865, when he was seventy 
years of age. Throughout his entire life he was identified with the 



248 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Whig party and was a member of the Mennonite church, his life being 
actuated by his Christian principles. 

Joseph H. Wenger spent his childhood in the county of his nativity, 
being trained to habits of industry, economy and honesty upon the 
home farm and thus laying the foundation of an upright character. lie 
assisted in the cultivation of the fields upon the old homestead until 
twenty-five years of age, when he came to Iowa, reaching Liberty town- 
ship, Keokuk county, in September, 1861. There he was employed in 
various ways, although his attention was principally given to farming. 
In 1866, however, with the money he had saved from his earnings he 
purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Liberty township, 
just east of South English, and began farming on his own account. This 
land was partly under cultivation, and he at once began to further im- 
prove and develop it. As his financial resources were increased he also 
added to the property until he had over five hundred acres of very 
rich, arable and valuable land, which he has since divided among his 
children, while he is now practically living retired from the active duties * 
of the farm. 

On the 5th of April, 1868, Air. Wenger was married to Elizabeth 
McAfferty, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, but reared and edu- 
cated in South English. They are the parents of four children, three 
sons and a daughter: John H., who is living in South English; Ben- 
jamin F., who died May 1, 1896, at the age of twenty-five years; Homer 
C, who resides upon a part of his father's old farm; and Mollie D., the 
wife of William D. Groves, who is also living on the old homestead. 
The parents are members of the Dunkark church, of Liberty township 
and are both well known and highly respected people of the community. 
Mr. Wenger has had a successful career and though when he left home 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR J . 249 

he had no money and was dependent entirely upon his own resources for 
a living, lie prospered as the result of his energy and capable manage- 
ment, became a prosperous land owner and is now the possessor of a 
handsome competence. 



LANDON UTTERBACK. 

Landon Utterback, son of Corbin and Sarah (Hanks) Utterback, 
of whom mention is made in the personal sketch of Josiah Utterback 
elsewhere in this volume, was born September 3, 1845, and was about 
five years old when the family came to Iowa. In the district school 
of the neighborhood he received his early instructions. At an early 
age he began to assist on the farm and throughout his life has been a 
successful farmer. His farm consists of one hundred acres of finely 
cultivated land, on which he carries on a general farming business. 

Mr. Utterback was twice married. In 1868 Hannah M. Moore 
became his wife and bore him one son, Allen F., a resident of Ottumwa, 
Towa. His second wife was Julia J. Vittetoe, of Keokuk county, and of 
one of the oldest families of the county. Her father was a native of 
Tennessee and her mother of Kentucky, and they came to Keokuk coun- 
ty in 1845. Mr. and Mr. Utterback had tour children: Lustella, de- 
ceased; Alvin L. deceased; Arthur C, at home; and Lullu M., at home. 

Our subject is a life-long Democrat and has never missed voting 
on election day since he became old enough. He belongs to the lodge 
of Woodmen of the World at Sigourney; and he is a faithful member 
of the Christian church at Lancaster. Among his fellow men he com- 
mands the respect of all and his career is one of which he may be proud. 



250 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

DEIDRICH HENRY STROHMANN. 

D. H. Strohmann, one of the oldest settlers and prominent fanners 
of Keokuk county, Iowa, whose fine farm is located in section 31, Ger- 
man township, was born in Hanover, Germany, on February 18, 185 1, 
and is the second child and the second son of Deidrich and Dorpthe 
( Backhaus) Strohmann, both of whom were natives of the same part of 
Germany. The father died July 9, 1883, aged sixty-four years, and the 
mother resides with our subject and is eighty-three years old. These 
parents emigrated to America in 1856 and came to Keokuk county, Iowa, 
when the young Deidrich was not quite six years of age. 

Our subject's education was obtained in the German schools of the 
Evangelical association and in the district schools, and he assisted his 
father on the farm until the date of his marriage. On February 24. 
1880, he was united in marriage with Henrietta Kracht. who was born 
at St. Louis, Missouri, January 14, 1857, and is a daughter of Emil and 
Lucetta ' Klett) Kracht, both of whom were natives of Germany, and 
after coming to America located at St. Louis. Mrs. Strohmann was 
seven years of age when her parents moved to Keokuk county and she 
is the fourth member of her parents' family of five children. Her mother 
died July 19, 1881, aged sixty-four years, and her father died May 4, 
1900, aged eighty. The family of Mr. Strohmann consists of himself, 
wife, and daughter Emma, born January 5. 1884, the latter being a very 
intelligent student in the public schools. 

In 1877 Mr. Strohmann located on his present farm, where he erect- 
ed a comfortable residence and a commodious and substantial barn. 
This farm comprises one hundred and twenty-five acres and it has been 
developed into one of the very finest estates in this neighborhood 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 251 

through the industry and excellent agricultural methods employed by its 
owner. In politics he is a Democrat, but a liberal one, and endeavors 
to secure the best man for the offices, irrespective of politics. Mr. Stroh- 
mann is regarded with feelings of respect and esteem in his locality, 
his position before his neighbors always demonstrating his integrity 
and reliability. He takes a great interest in public matters, especially 
those pertaining to his township, and is always ready to do his part in 
making improvements. 



R. S. MARTIN. 

Among the many worthy enterprises of the stirring little city of 
Hedrick, Keokuk county, Iowa, none are more deserving of commenda- 
tion than the one which is being conducted by the above genetleman and 
his sons, who are editors and proprietors of the Hedrick Journal, a 
newspaper which has done very valuable service in bringing the develi ip- 
ment of the youthful city to the attention of the capitalists of the east. 
Mr. R. S. Martin is a native of Licking county, Ohio, born February 
4, 1836. He was the son of Daniel and Sara E. (Hagan) Martin, na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. After marriage they removed to Ohio, where he 
became a prominent and influential citizen, having been judge of the 
court of common pleas in Licking county. In 1854 the family removed 
to Iowa and located at Steady Run township, Keokuk county, where the 
father continued to reside until his death at the advanced age of 
ninety-one years. He was a man of very fine mold of character, and 
during his life time spread an influence for good in every community 
in which he resided. The parents of Mr. Martin had a family of eleven 



252 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

children, ten of whom grew to maturity, Mr. Martin being the seventh 
child and fourth son. 

He remained at home until his majority, coming to Iowa with the 
family. The first active work he engaged in was the teaching profession, 
which he followed for two or three years previous to the war. In 1861, 
however, he put aside all considerations of business and was found 
a loyal citizen who valiantly espoused the cause of the Union. He was 
among the first to enlist, entering the army in 1861 as a private soldier 
of Company D, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry. In this company 
he served three years, and passed through some of the most hotly con- 
tested battles of the army of the Cumberland. The first of these battles 
was Shiloh, then came the sieges of Corinth and Vicksburg; after which 
he was on the Atlanta campaign and in other minor engagements. At 
the battle of Shiloh he received a bullet wound, but it did not incapaci- 
tate him for duty. He was also wounded in front of Atlanta. He 
received an honorable discharge from the service on the 1st of Novem- 
ber, 1864, and returned to his home with the consciousness of having 
served his country faithfully and well. After the war he continued in 
the teaching profession until 1886, when he in company with his sons, 
W. D. and C. J., established the Martinsburg Journal. This plant they 
conducted until 1889, when they removed to Hedrick and consolidated 
it with the Hedrick Enterprise, the name of the paper since that time 
having been the Hedrick Journal. This enterprise has been very suc- 
cessful, the paper having one of the largest circulations in the state and 
being a power in the moulding of public opinion in its various depart- 
ments. Mr. Martin and his sons also do a very large business in job 
printing. 

The marriage of Mr. Martin occurred in Keokuk county, Iowa, on 




^y (b.M 




GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 255 

15th of January, 1865, when he led to the altar Martha J. Hampton. 
This lady is a native of Tennessee, from which state her family removed 
to Kentucky and in 1856 to Iowa. To the union of Mr. ands Mrs. Mar- 
tin three children were born, Walter D. and Charles J., both in business 
with their father, and Anna who is the wife of A. A. Buck, of Fremont, 
Nebraska. The Martin family has been a very prominent one in this 
section of the state of Iowa ever since their removal here. The father, 
Daniel Martin, leaves his name to posterity in the name of the town of 
Martinsburg-, Iowa, which he laid out in 1855. He was a man of much 
public spirit, which he bequeathed to his son, who has a live interest in 
every movement affecting the welfare of his fellow-townsmen and advo- 
cates and assists to the extent of his ability every measure which in his 
judgment tends to the advancement of the interests of his count}, and 
state. 

WILLIAM E. HARDING. 

One of the prominent farmers and resident citizens of Adams town- 
ship is William E. Harding, whose home is on section 7. A native oi 
the Buckeye state, he was born in Morrow county, Ohio, on the 25th 
of September, 1859, and is a son of J. H. Harding, whose birth occurred 
January 8, 182 1, in what was then Richland county, Ohio, but is now 
Morrow county. The paternal grandfather was Mordica Harding, who 
was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, November 18, 1796, 
and died March 21, 1870. At an early date he removed with his parents 
to Richland county, Ohio, becoming one of the pioneer settlers of that 
locality. His father was Amos Harding, who was of English descent. In 
his family were seventeen children, Mordica being the ninth in order 



256 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of birth. This family was prominently identified with the early devel- 
opment of Richland county, Ohio. The maternal grandmother of our 
subject was Julia Flint, born May 14, 1790, and died in May, 1862. His 
grandmother was Susan Harding, born March 24, 1794, and died March 
30, 185 1. 

In the state of his nativity J. H. Harding, the father of our sub- 
ject, grew to manhood and was united in marriage to Miss Emily A. 
Flint, who was born at Mansfield, Richland county, her parents having 
located in that place when the town consisted principally of a block house 
built for the protection of the early settlers from the Indians. In 1862 
Mr. Harding left Ohio and came west, taking up his residence in Prairie 
township, Keokuk county, Iowa, but two years later he removed to 
Adams township, where he continued to make his home thoughout the 
remainder of his life, his death occurring there November 15, 1892, when 
he was seventy-one years of age. His wife passed away at the age 
of seventy-three on August 11, 1897. She was a daughter of Eliphalet 
Flint, born June 6, 1782, and died in March, i860; he was of Welsh de- 
scent and became quite a prominent man of Richland county, Ohio. In 
religious faith J. H. Harding was a Baptist, holding membership in that 
church for many years. His political support was given the Republican 
party and he was called upon to fill a number of local offices of honor 
and trust. For about eleven years he served as president of the Farm- 
ers Mutual Insurance Company and was a man widely and favorably 
known throughout Keokuk county. His family consists of four sons 
and. two daughters, one of whom died at the age of two and one-half 
yea;s and another at the age of seventeen; Rosella Pine, wife of Wil- 
liam Pine, died April 30, 1891 ; she was the widow of Francis M. 
Brown, whom she married in 1867; two sons by her first husband 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 257 

are living, Howard and Berton R. Those of the family still living are 
O. C.j a resident of Keswick: Harriet, widow of Reuben Davis of 
Oskaloosa, Iowa; and William E., of this review. 

Mr. Harding of this review is the youngest of the family and was 
but four years old when brought by his parents to Keokuk county, 
where he spent the days of his boyhood and youth in much the usual 
manner of farmer boys and early acquired an excellent knowledge 
of all the duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. When he 
located upon his present farm, which is the old homestead, it was all 
wild prairie and he assisted in the arduous task of transforming the 
land into rich and productive fields. His education was obtained in 
the district schools of the neighborhood, and during his youth he expe- 
rienced many of the hardships and privations which fail to the lot of 
the pioneer. As a boy he herded sheep until fifteen years of age 
and has since given his attention exclusively to agricultural pursuits. 

On the 3rd of August, 188 1, Mr. Harding married Miss Jane 
C. Orr, a native of County Down, Ireland, who came to America with 
her parents, John and Eliza (Dunnin) Orr, when about eight years 
old. The family first located in Illinois, but afterward came to Iowa 
and settled in Iowa county. Though born in Ireland her parents were 
of Scotch descent, the family being originally from the land of the 
heather. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Harding, 
namly: Clela M., J. Harvey and Harry F. The older son is now 
attending school at Oskaloosa, Iowa, and the others are still at home. 
Mr. and Mrs. Harding began their domestic life upon a farm on 
section 8, Adams township, where they made their home for nine 
years, but in 1889 they returned to the old homestead, to the cultiva- 
tion and improvement of which he has since devoted his attention, and 



258 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Harding is now the owner of two hundred acres of well improved 
and valuable land. In connection with general farming he carries 
on stock raising. For forty years Mr. Harding has been identified with 
the interests of Keokuk county and has ever borne his part in the work 
of up-building and improvement. Politically he is identified with the 
Republican party and socially is connected with the Masonic fraternity, 
belonging to the lodge at Thornburg. As a citizen he ever stands 
ready to discharge any duty devolving upon him and justly merits 
the high regard in which he is held. 



JOHN S. STOUTNER, M. D. 

Dr. John S. Stoutner, of Keota, has passed the eightieth milestone 
on life's journey and is now living in honorable retirement from labor. 
His life record has been characterized by many of the sterling qualities 
of upright manhood, and wherever known he has won the respect and 
good will of those with whom he has been associated. Now in the even- 
ing of life he receives the veneration and esteem which should ever be 
accorded to those who have advanced far on life's journey. He is a 
native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Bedford county on 
the 5th of April, 1822. His father, Benjamin Stoutner, was born in 
Maryland and there spent his boyhood and youth. The grandfather, 
John Stoutner, was also supposed to be a native of Maryland and was 
of German descent. On leaving his native state Benjamin Stoutner took 
up his abode in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where he carried on 
blacksmithing. He was married in Pennsylvania and several years 
later located in Richland county, Ohio, where he spent his remaining 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 259 

days, dying when eighty-four years of age. His life was in consistent 
harmony with his profession as a member of the Lutheran church and in 
politics he was always a stanch Democrat. His wife bore the maiden 
name of Catherine Shertzer, a native of Pennsylvania, where she was 
reared. She also died in her eighty-fourth year. Her father, Jacob 
Shertzer, was born in the Keystone state and was of German lineage. 
To the parents of our subject were born ten children, four sons 
and six daughters, all of whom reached adult age with the exception 
of one son who died when ten years old. 

Dr. Stoutner is the eldest of the family. He was reared in the 
place of his nativity until seventeen years of age, when he accompanied 
his parents on their removal to Richland county, Ohio, remaining with 
them until he had attained the age of twenty-two years. He then went 
to Massilon, Ohio, and took up the study of medicine under the direc- 
tion of Dr. John Shertzer, who directed his reading for two years 
and ten months. He afterward pursued a course of study at Willough- 
by college, Ohio, twenty miles east of Cleveland. When he had become 
well qualified for the active practice of the profession he located in 
New Washington, Crawford county, Ohio, where he opened an office 
and was there in practice for five years, during which time he acquired 
a good patronage. He then went to Ganges, Richland county, where he 
remained for one year, after which he came to the west, it 
was in 1854 that he made his way to Iowa, locating in 
Washington county at a place called Paris. For nine years he prac- 
ticed successfully there and a,t the end of that time abandoned his 
profession in order to give his attention to agricultural pursuits. He 
purchased two farms in Washington county and on selling that land 
bought property in township 76 of Washington county, becoming the 



260 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

owner of three hundred and twenty acres upon which he located, 
devoting his energies to its development and improvement. His labors 
wrought a transformation in the place so that it became a very val- 
uable and attractive farm, and thereon he continued to make his home 
until 1890, when he retired from farm life and purchased a residence 
property in Keota. He had added to his land until he was the owner 
of seven hundred and ninety acres of as rich land as can be found in 
the country. He gave to his son, Oliver, a tract of eighty acres, a similar 
amount to his son William, and they are now prominent farmers of 
Washington count)-. 

On the 28th of October, 1847. the Doctor was united in marriage 
to Mary Ann Keith, a native of Richland county, Ohio, born January 5, 
1824, and a daughter of Michael and Margaret Keith, both of whom 
were natives of Pennsylvania. In their family were two sons and five 
daughters, and death did not sever the family tie until after they had 
reached mature years. Mrs. Stoutner is the youngest of the children 
and was reared and educated in her native place. By her marriage 
she has become the mother of six children : Margaret, now deceased ; Oli- 
ver, a resident farmer of Washington county ; Naomi, the wife of 
Warren Stewart, a stockman of Keota; William, also a farmer of Wash- 
ington county; Edward, deceased; and Nettie, the wife of Squire H. S. 
Statler, of Keota. 

The Doctor is a stanch Democrat, having firm faith in the prin- 
ciples of the party, which he also supports by his ballot and his influence. 
He is a member of the Christian church, in which he has taken an active 
part, doing all in his power to promote its growth and upbuilding. In 
his business affairs he has prospered and is to-day in comfortable financial 
circumstances, whereby he is enabled to enjoy many of the luxuries as 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 261 

well as of the necessities of life. He is a weil preserved man of eighty 
years, for nature is kindly to those who abuse not her laws. His life 
has in many respects been highly commendable and his example is 
therefore well worthy of emulation. 



CURTIS CRABB. 

Curtis Crabb, who carries on general farming on section 9, Lafay- 
ette township, was born in Carroll county, Maryland, on the 22d of 
April, 1S57. His father, George Crabb, was a native of the same local- 
ity and was a blacksmith by occupation. The year 1872 witnessed his 
arrival in Keokuk county, Iowa, and he located on a farm which is now 
the home of our subject, making it his place of residence until his death, 
which occurred in his sixty-first year. He was a member of the Wine- 
brennerian church. He wedded Susan Wincers, also a native of Carroll 
county, Maryland, and she, too, died in her sixty-first year. They were 
the parents of two children, a son and a daughter. 

Curtis Crabb is now the only living member of the family, his sis- 
ter, Elizabeth, having died when a small child. He was about thirteen 
years old when he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and here in the public 
schools he continued his education, which had been begun in the common 
schools of his native county. When but a small boy he had to begin 
work to provide for his own support, and he cared for his father and 
mother in their later years, thus repaying with filial love and attention 
the care which they had bestowed upon him in early youth. In 1890 
he was united in marriage to Miss Clara McVay, a daughter of John 
and Abigal (Moon) McVay. 



262 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Crabb is the owner of an excellent farm of eighty acres and 
carries on general fanning and stock raising with a fair degree of 
success. He is recognized as one of the progressive men of the township. 
In politics he is an earnest Democrat, and on the ticket was elected to the 
office of assessor, but did not serve on account of physical disability. He 
belongs to Adelphi Lodge. No. 353 of Keota, and is true to its teachings 
and its tenets, for in his life he closely follows the principles of the 
craft. 

ALEXANDER WARNOCK. 

Alexander Warnock, a prominent farmer and representative of 
Adams township, Keokuk county, was born on the 20th of April, 1845, 
in county Down, Ireland, and is a son of John and Mary (Campbell) 
Warnock, who were also natives of the Emerald Isle, the former born 
March 23, 1820, and the latter on the 18th of June 1815. Mary Camp- 
bell was a direct descendant of the long famous house of Argyle. Both 
parents were reared and educated in their native land and there continued 
to reside for several years after their marriage, four of their eight child- 
ren being born there, while the birth of the others occurred after the 
emigation of the family to America. By occupation the father was a 
farmer. It was in 1849 that the family crossed the broad Atlantic and 
took up their residence in Rock Island, Illinois, where the father accept- 
ed a position on the Enterprise, a steamboat plying on the Mississippi. 
He was thus employed the first summer after coming to this country and 
then began work for the firm of Bailey & Boyle, who owned and operated 
a sawmill, in which he worked for about two years. He then rented 
the property and ran it on his own account for some time, after which 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 263 

the family removed to the country in the spring of 1854, and he broke 
and improved one hundred and sixty acres of land. He afterward lived on 
several other farms in Rock Island county and continued to engage in 
agricultural pursuits until life's labors were ended in death on the 27th 
of August. 1887. In politics he was a stanch Republican and took an 
active interest in public affairs. He was an earnest and consistent 
member of the United Presbyterian church in Rock Island county and 
was a man highly respected and esteemed by all who knew him. His 
children were: Margaret ; William, deceased; Alexander; David; James 
C, John, deceased ; Hugh and Janet. 

Alexander Warnock was only four years old at the time the family 
came to the new world and in Rock Island county, Illinois, he passed 
the days of his boyhood and youth in much the usual mannar of farm 
boys, no event of special importance occurring to vary the routine of 
farm work during that time. On leaving home in 1868 he came to Keo- 
kuk county, Iowa, and settled upon his present farm in Adams town- 
ship, which consists of one hundred sixty acres of rich and arable land, 
which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and improved 
with good and substantial buildings. In connection with general farm- 
ing he gives considerable attention to the raising of a high grade of 
pedigreed stock, making a specialty of short-horn cattle, of which he 
has a fine herd upon his place. 

At Oskaloosa, Iowa, on the 9th of March, 1869, was celebrated the 
marriage of Mr. Warnock and Miss Agnes McCracken, who was also 
a native of Ireland, born on the 25th of December, 1847; ner parents 
being James and Elizabeth (McCormick) McCracken, both natives of 
the same country. In 1849 sne was brought by her parents to the 
United States and the family became early settlers of Keokuk county. 



264 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Her father, who was a prominent farmer, died in 1887. Mrs - Warnock 
was reared and educated in Rock Island county, Illinois, and by her 
marriage to our subject became the mother of seven children, four 
sons and three daughters, who in order of birth are as follows : John, 
born in the fall of 1869; Elizabeth, September 19, 1871 ; James M., 
September 10, 1873; Mary, in 1875; Jefferson Clarke, in 1879; William, 
December 8, 1881 ; and Gertrude, April 3, 1894. All were born on the 
home farm. 

J 11 his political affiliations, Mr. Warnock has been a life-long Dem- 
ocrat and has taken quite an active interest in local politics, while relig- 
iously he is a member of the United Presbyterian church and is a man 
who commands the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes 
in contact, either in business or social life. 

WILLIAM W. GWIN. 

It is now our privilege and pleasure to trace the life of one of 
Keota's most honored citizen from the time his grandfather came to 
this country over a century ago, until the present, when the grandson 
after a successful life is spending his remaining days in peaceful con- 
templation of the past and hope of the future. Isaam Gwin, grandfather 
of William W. Gwin, was a native of Ireland; his wife was Mary Can- 
teberry; he left the land of his birth when very young, and settled 
with his wife in Tennessee about the time it became a state. By trade 
he was a miller and by profession a Baptist preacher. Although a 
slave holder, the practice was abhorrent to his nature, and in 1820 he 
freed his slaves and moved to Indiana, that he might be in a state op- 
posed to slavery, and in this state he died. He was the father of ten 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 265 

children, the father of our subject being the ninth child and the youngest 
son. 

R. W. Gwin, the father of William \\\, and an early settler of 
[owa, was born on his father's homestead in Tennessee on January 30, 
1804. and there his boyhood was passed, and he received such educa- 
tional advantages as were then to be had. He was not yet twenty years 
old when his father removed to the free state of Indiana. There he 
was married when twenty-one years of age and five years later moved 
to Illinois and occupied a farm of one hundred and sixty acres east of 
the Illinois river. In 1831, crossing the Illinois, he settled on another 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres and remained there about five years. 
His next move was across the Mississippi into Des Moines county, Iowa, 
where he lived for two years ; then for five years he was in Louisa 
county, and in 1843 ne bought, in Washington county, four hundred 
acres of land from the government, which he improved and cultivated 
until 1858. Then emigrating with part of his family to Kansas, he 
settled on five hundred acres of partly improved land, on which he 
built a house and made many improvements; about 1878 he moved 
further south to Montgomery county, Kansas, purchasing a fine farm 
and town property in independence, and here in 1885 he ended his 
long and useful life. He was a Republican in politics and a member 
of the Sons of Temperance. His wife was Nancy Watkins, born in 
1807 in Kentucky, where she was reared and educated; her parents were 
John and Mary Watkins, who removed to Indiana about the same time 
Mr. Gwin's father did. Mr. and Mrs. Gwin were the parents of 
fifteen children, five boys and ten girls. One child died in 1843, and 
from then on until 1885 the family was unbroken by death. The 
children are as follows: Mary (deceased), William W., Jane, Sarah. 



266 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Martha (deceased), John, Louisa, Nancy (died in 1843), Elizabeth, 
Marguerette, Caroline, Anna, Richard, Martin, and Walter. 

Our immediate subject, William W. Gwin, whose father and grand- 
father we have just sketched, was born in Indiana on September 29, 
1827, and so, was nine years old when his father crossed the Mississippi 
river into Iowa. And in 1858, when his father removed to Kansas, he 
had already acquired a fine farm of two hundred acres in Washington 
county. He had purchased his land from the government between the 
years 1847 ar *d 1855 and had brought it into a fine state of cultiva- 
tion. In 1885 Mr. Gwin moved to Keokuk county and bought a house 
and lot in Keota, and retired from active farming. For two years he 
was engineer in a flour mill, and in 1889 he engaged in the lumber busi- 
ness by buying out the old Hinkle lumber yard. This venture proved 
very successful, and later he took in S. S. Wright as partner; in 1895 
he sold his interest to his partner, and has since lived retired, having 
well earned a rest and freedom from business cares. 

Mr. Gwin was married in 185 1 to Catherine Bush, who was born in 
1833 in Ohio, where she remained till she was thirteen years old; she 
is the daughter of Absalom Bush and Violet Arnold, who came to Iowa 
and settled on a farm in 1846. Mr. and Mrs] Gwin were the parents of 
ten children, six boys and four girls: Joshua (deceased), Anderson 
(deceased), Nathan A., Violet (deceased). Smiley (deceased), Ella 
May, Williard D., Nora A., Lillie, and Orley. 

Mr. Gwin is a charter member of Masonic Lodge, No. 96, at 
Richmond. He is a charter member of the Christian church at Keota, 
helped to build it. and among the first officers of the church he was 
chosen the first elder and the third trustee, and is now also president of 
the official board. As a Republican he has served as a member of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 267 

the city council. His life spent in varied activity has reflected honor 
not only upon himself but upon those with whom he has lived. 



ANANIAS A. SHRADER. 

Ananias A. Shrader is a well known business man of Keota, Keo- 
kuk county, Iowa, where he carries on a contracting and building busi- 
ness, and many structures in the town and throughout the county attest 
his skill and industry. His father was Samuel W. Shrader. who was 
born in the state of Pennsylvania, and after receiving his education 
learned the trade of a millwright and lived in that state until he was 
forty years of age. In 1856 he moved with his family to Iowa and set- 
tled on eighty acres in Muscatine county ; he conducted this farm and 
engaged in milling for eight years. In 1864 he went to Iowa county 
and bought a farm, for the most part well improved ; after remaining 
here until 1880 he took up his residence in Keota and there lived retired 
from active labor until his death, April .23, 1893. He was a member of 
the Democratic party and was connected with the Lutheran church. 
While in Pennsylvania he married Sarah Aldinger, a native of that state 
and born in 1826. Six children were born before they left Pennsylvania 
and one in Iowa, three boys and four girls : Joseph A., Mary, Kather- 
ine (deceased), Ananias, Susan, Rebecca (deceased), and Samuel H. 

Ananias Shrader was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. 
April 8, 1849, and was seven years old when his father left that state 
and came to Iowa. Up to his twenty-fifth year he farmed with his 
father, and then in 1875 he was married to Emma Pugh, a native of 
Illinois and a daughter of William and Sarah Pugh, old settlers of 



268 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

that state, where both of them d'ied. Mr. and Mrs. Shrader had two 
1 h > vs. but both are now dead, one of whom was named William ; they 
were born in Iowa county, Iowa. 

In 1881 our subject removed from Iowa county to Keota, and for 
two years was employed in the Henkle and Ritche furniture store; at 
the end of that time he and his brother opened a general store, which 
they successfully carried on for three years. After selling out his 
business in 18S6 he began contracting and building and has engaged 
in this ever since. The principles of the Democratic party have appealed 
to his political reason; in religion he is an ardent member of the Meth- 
odist church and helped financially and also erected the present church 
at Keota. 

DAVID P. MARTIN. 

Among the well known and respected retired farmers of Keota, 
Iowa, is David P. Martin, who for many years carried on the most 
honorable pursuit of agriculture and now is spending the remaining 
days of life in the enjoyment of his well earned competency. His 
father, David M. Martin, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, 
in 1816, and was a jolly miller of that locality, and here he married 
and his children were born, but in 1853 he came west and went to 
farming in the state of Illinois, where he remained until his death in 
1892. His wife was Elizabeth Palmer, of Pennsylvania, and she was 
the mother of six children, three boys and three girls. David being the 
fourth in order of birth and the eldest son : Rebecca, Maria, Harriett 
(deceased), David P., Samuel and Solomon; all of these spent their 
early life in their home in Pennsylvania, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 269 

David P. Martin was born on the 6th da)- of January, 1839, and 
spent the first fourteen years of his life in the old Pennsylvania home, 
and there received the rudiments of the education which he completed 
in Illinois. His school days were finished in his twentieth year and then 
he worked on the farm until he was of age. In that year, i860, he was 
married, and in the spring of 1862 he enlisted in the First Illinois 
Volunteer Cavalry, Company C, and after being in the service for a 
few months was mustered out in July of the same year. Returning to 
the farm in Illinois, -he remained there until 1869, at which time 
he took his family to a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Lafayette 
township, Keokuk count}'. Iowa. This land was uncleared, but in a 
short time by his assiduous labor it was brought under a fine state of 
cultivation. In 1888 Mr. Martin sold his farm and retiring to Keota 
purchased three lots and three houses and has since lived in this place; 
he also purchased a half interest in a general store and continued in its 
management for six years, but then sold it hack to H. F. Williams, and 
has since enjoyed the pleasure 1 if d< imestic life, untrammeled by the cares 
of business. 

Mr. Martin was married to Hortensia J. Golden, daughter of 
John and Lucila Golden, of Ohio, where she was born; she came to 
Illinois with her parents and remained there until her marriage. They 
have no children of their own, but adopted three: Leona R., who is 
now dead; Elbe Romines, and Lottie Glen (deceased). The Republican 
party finds a loyal supporter in Mr. Martin; the family are members 
of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is not only a member but an 
active worker for the cause of religion, being a trustee, and he was on 
the building committee when the present church was erected. His hoh- 



270 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

orable and active career has not failed to bring him man}* friends and 
make him a prominent figure in his city. 

JOHN CAMPBELL. 

As a man travels on in the journey of life and passes the prime 
of manhood, his strength and energy are somewhat lessened by age, 
which is an indication that it is intended that his last years shonld be, 
at least to some extent, a period of rest. Not all who pass he meridian 
of life are permitted to put aside business cares, for through the lack 
of business ability or mismanagement they have not acquired capital 
sufficient to supply their needs in their declining years. We here present, 
however, a gentleman who is enjoying a well earned rest. Long con- 
nected with the agricultural interests of the county, his capable manage- 
ment and the careful husbanding of his resources brought to him a very 
desirable competence, which now supplies him with all the necessities 
and many of the luxuries that go to make life worth living. 

This rather brief and imperfect sketch of the Campbell family will 
serve to place before our readers a record that can be safely emulated 
by all young men. Mr. John Campbell is a native of Franklin county, 
Ohio, born December 25, 1829. His parents were Robert and Phoebe 
(Martin) Campbell, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. They 
were married in Franklin county, and located in Plain township. The 
mother died at the birth of our subject and the father died here at the 
age of sixty-six years. He was an active and earnest member of the 
Methodist church, and a follower of Jefferson in politics. His father 
before him was born in Ireland and came to America when but a boy 
with his two brother. The grandmother of Mr. Campbell was June 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 271 

Meads, a daughter of an old pioneer family of Pennsylvania. The 
mother of our subject was also a native of Pennsylvania. She became 
the mother of four children, three sons and one daughter, of whom our 
subject is the youngest, ami all of whom grew to maturity and lived to a 
good old age. 

Our subject is the only living member of the family. He was 
born, educated and married in his native county. The date of the 
marriage was August 30, 1854, when he was joined to Miss Sara 
Thrall, a native of Licking county, Ohio, and the daughter of Dr. B. F. 
and Eliza (Pyle) Thrall. Her father was born in Vermont, and was a 
practicing physician for a number of years in Licking county and during 
the Civil war was a surgeon in the Federal army. He was a man of 
fine education and of excellent reputation in his profession. He had a 
family consisting of ten children, five sons and five daughters, all grow- 
ing to maturity. Our subject remained in Ohio until 1855, when he 
came to Iowa, where he located first in Des Moines county, and in the 
fall of 1859 came on to Keokuk county and located in Martinsburg. 
Here he remained for two years, during which time he was post- 
master and hotel keeper. He then removed back to Ohio, and remained 
there two years, and then returned to Keokuk county, where he pur- 
chased land and engaged in farming. Since coming to Iowa Mr. Camp- 
bell has had a very busy existence, and has been prominent in the local 
life of the different communities in which he has resided. He has 
lived in several localities in the county and has always been prominent- 
ly identified as a member of the agricultural and stock raising class. 
By the use of good business judgment, and a life of energetic activity, 
he has been enabled to accumulate a considerable property. In 1900 



272 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he retired from active business and has since resided at Hedrick in 
enjoyment of the competency which he has so well earned. 

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are the parents of eight children, B. Frank, 
a farmer of Keokuk county; Daniel, a farmer in Steady Run town- 
ship; Phcebe, wife of Dr. W. H. Wilson of Table Rock, Nebraska; 
Eliza, wife of Geo. R. Davis, Steady Run township; Minnie, single 
and at home; Robert, a farmer of Steady Run township; Homer, de- 
ceased at nine years; and a son, who died in infancy. These child- 
ren were given fair educational advantages, and given also excellent 
financial aid for the beginning of their several battles of life. In polit- 
ical faith Mr. Campbell has always adhered to Democratic principles, 
and during the long fight for the principles of prohibition in Iowa has 
been exceedingly active in favor of the prohibition legislation that has 
been enacted. He has held only minor offices, never being a seeker 
of political preferment. He and his wife are members of the Methodist 
church, in which he has been active as an official and has been a liberal 
contributor. 

JOHN CLARK. 

At an early day in the development of Keokuk county the late John 
Clark became one of its residents. Many years have passed since then, 
bringing great changes, and in the work of transformation he bore his 
part as a loyal and interested citizen. He carried on farming on section 
9, Lafayette township, where he had a good home and valuable property. 
Mr. Clark was born in Lincolnshire, England, March 25, 1830. His 
father, Thomas Clark, also a native of that country and a farmer by 
occupation, died in England when about eighty years of age. His wife, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 273 

Rebecca (Cunningham) Clark, was also born, lived and died in Eng- 
land, passing away when the subject of this review was only about a 
year old. The father was three times married, the mother of our 
subject being his second wife, and to them were born three children. 
The brothers of our subject were David and Daniel. They, too, came 
to the United States and both died in Illinois in 1902. 

John Clark was the youngest of the three brothers and was a self-made 
man whose strong perseverance and diligence were the means of bring- 
ing to him creditable success in life. He was about twelve years of 
age when he began work by the week, receiving twenty-five cents for 
a week's wages. He was willing to take any employment that would 
yield him an honest living. For three years he remained with Mrs. 
Back, his first employer, and then entered the service of Mr. Wilson, 
a farmer with whom he remained for a year. He next entered the 
service of Mr. Cullum. also a farmer, with whom he continued for about 
a year. He next worked for Mr. Stewart, near Spalding, England. 
Thus another twelve months passed and he then went to the home which 
his father owned and worked in that locality, as he could find employ- 
ment. Believing that he could enjoy better business opportunities in the 
new world he came to America with his brother David in the year 
[852. They first located in Washington, Illinois, near Peoria. They 
had about five hundred dollars in money when they reached that place 
and thus they began life in the new world. Mr. Clark of this review 
remained in Washington or its vicinity for about eight years, working 
by the month. 

In the meantime, in 1855, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to 
Margaret Ferguson, a native of Scotland, and in 1857 he came to 
Keokuk county, Iowa, locating on the land on which was his late home 



274 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and where his daughter now resides. Here lie improved a place which, 
when it came into his possession, was entirely wild and uncultivated, 
although the land was fenced. He built the residence, barns and other 
outbuildings upon the place, added all the modern equipments which 
are here seen and cultivated the fields until now they are very productive. 
For forty-five years he made his residence here and lived to witness 
much of the growth of the county. He had two hundred and six acres of 
land and throughout the years of his residence successfully carried on 
general farming and stock raising. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Clark were born four children who are yet liv- 
ing and two who have passed away, namely : William, a resident 
farmer of Keokuk county ; Eliza, the wife of John Herr, who also fol- 
lows farming in this county; May the wife of George McDonald, who 
operates her father's land; Catherine, the wife of Benjamin Showalter, 
of East Chicago, Indiana; and David and Benjamin, both deceased. 
The mother passed away February 13, 1898, dying in the faith of 
the Presbyterian church, of which she was a consistent and loyal mem- 
ber. She possessed many excellent traits of heart and mind, which 
have endeared her to her friends as well as to her immediate family. 
In his political views Mr. Clark was an earnest Republican, whose study 
of the questions and issues of the day led him to give his aid to that 
party. His life serves to illustrate what excellent business opportunities 
are furnished in America to young men of ambition, determination and 
industry. Success may here be won by these qualities unhampered by 
caste or class. Desiring to provide well for his family, Mr. Clark- 
labored untiringly at farm work until several years ago, when his 
health failed him and at the time of his death he was numbered among 
the men of affluence of the community and as a substantial and repre- 






GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 275 

sentative citizen connected with agricultural interests in Keokuk county. 
His name is also on the role of pioneer settlers, for through almost a 
half century he lived in this part of Iowa. Mr. Clark died on October 
23, 1902, and the event was the occasion of sincere regret throughout 
the community of his friends and neighbors. 

SIMON P. HERR. 

Simon P. Herr. who is connected with the farming interests of 
Lafayette township, makes his home on section 7 and has here an 
excellent farm of one hundred and sixty acres of well improved land. 
He is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Montour 
county, on the 26th of January, 1848. His parents were Michael and 
Catherine (Sandle) Herr, both of whom were natives of the Keystone 
state. The father was born in Lancaster county and was there reared 
and married. In 1858 he came to Iowa, taking up his abode in Liberty 
township, where he purchased a farm, and it remained his place of 
residence until he was called to his final rest in his seventieth year. His 
wife also died in this count}- when about sixty-two years of age. They 
were the parents of eight children, and Simon P. is the fifth of this 
number. 

Simon was about ten years of age when he came with his parents 
to Keokuk county and on the home farm in Liberty township was 
trained to habits of industry and economy, honesty and integrity. He 
enjoyed the pleasures in which most boys of the period indulged and 
also assisted in farm labor as his age and strength would permit, while 
in the district schools near his home he mastered the branches of Eng- 
lish learning usually taught in such institutions. 



276 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

In 1875 Mr. Herr was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Ferguson, a 
native of Illinois, who came to Keokuk county with her parents in 
her early girlhood. The young couple began their domestic life in 
Libert}- township, where they remained for about six years, and then 
came to their present home on section 7, Lafayette township. Here thev 
have since remained and Mr. Herr has devoted his time and energies to 
to the general work of tilling the soil and raising stock, placing his 
one hundred and sixty acres of land under a high state of cultivation, 
so that it compares very favorably with the best improved farms in 
this portion of the state. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Herr was blessed with five children : 
Charlie, Mabel, Daisy, Earl, and Willie. For his second wife Mr. Hen- 
chose Anna 1 lever, who was the first girl born in Harper, Iowa, her 
parents being John and Mary (I'auly) Heyer, who were early settlers 
of Harper, locating there at the time the railroad was built. Mrs. Herr 
accordingly spent her girlhood days in that town and was a student 
in its public schools. Their three living children are: Leona, Earnest, 
and Lillian. They have also lost two children, Cecilia and Lawrence. 
From pioneer times down to the present Mr. Herr has been identified 
with the growth and progress of Keokuk county, taking an active 
and abiding interest in all that has pertained to the general welfare and 
to the public good. He is a Democrat and has held local offices, dis- 
charging his duties with marked promptness and fidelity ; he has served 
as road supervisor and as school director. He is a member of the 
Presbyterian church, and his life has been in strict conformity with its 
teachings and its principles. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 277 

JONATHAN DUNCAN. 

Speaking from an historical point of view, ii is only a short time 
since the region west of the Allegheny mountains was a "howling" 
wilderness and the land producing nothing beneficial to civilization. 
And men who came to the middle west even in the middle of the last 
century are looked upon as old settlers and almost patriarchs of the 
country. The subject of this sketch has been in Iowa ever since 1854, 
locating in Washington county, where he engaged in farming, and is 
one of the old and respected farmers of Keokuk county, having lived 
here a good many years ago, and two years ago he removed here again 
from Washington county. The grandfather of Jonathan Duncan was of 
Scotch descent, as the name indicates, and was a native of Pennsylvania 
and lived during the struggle of the colonies for independence. William 
Duncan, the father of Jonathan, was born in Pennsylvania in 1776, and 
was reared and educated on a farm and in the schools of the times, 
followed the occupation of a farmer, and in politics belonged to the 
old Whig party. His first wife was Jane Drennen, who was the 
mother of six children: William, James, David, Mary, Eliza and Eliza 
Ann, all of whom are deceased. His second wife, the mother of our 
subject, was Mary Kinsie, born and reared in Pennsylvania. They had 
five children, of whom Jonathan was the eldest. The others were : Samuel 
(deceased), Hiram, Rachel (deceased) and Sarah (deceased), all born 
and reared in Pennsylvania. 

Jonathan Duncan was born on the 30th of March, 1824; he learned 
the trade of a blacksmith and after serving an apprenticeship of three 
years went into business on his own account. At the age of thirty he 
decided to go west, and accordingly came to Iowa in 1854 and settled 



278 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

on a farm in Washington county; here he remained a short time and 
then came to Keokuk county, where he conducted a farm for twenty 
years. In 1874 he returned to Washington county and carried on farm- 
ing there for some time, but finally returned to this county and has 
since been living in Keota. 

Mr. Duncan's first marriage was to Elizabeth Moore, a native of 
Pennsylvania; this took place in 1861, and she died in 1872, the mother 
of four children, William, Ida, Mattie and Charles. In 1875 he again 
married, and his wife was Mary Tennent, who was born in New York 
city and came with her parents to Ohio when she was about ten years 
old and was there educated. Her parents, John and Mary Tennent, 
were natives of Ireland, coming to Ohio at an early day, and there they 
died. Mr. Duncan was a believer in the principles of the Whig party 
while that organization was in existence and he later became a Repub- 
lican. He is a member of the United Presbyterian church of Keota, and 
is an influential and upright citizen of his community. 



CHARLES C. WONDERLICH. 

In studying the early history of Keokuk county, Iowa, we find that 
Frederick A. Wonderlich, the father of our immediate subject, was one 
of the very earliest settlers of this county. A native of Germany, he 
remained in his fatherland until he was thirteen years old, when he 
came to Ohio, where he remained for some time. It was in the '40s 
that he came to Keokuk county and settled on eighty acres in Jackson 
township, which he labored hard to clear and cultivate. His political 
beliefs were strongly Republican and he was always interested in the 




<^S *4<^&£4f **»*££ i/sl 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 281 

public weal of his community. He was married in Keokuk county to 
Adeline Bottger, who came from Germany to this county in 1854. 
Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wonderlich, of whom our 
subject is the oldest. In order of birth they are: Charles C, fohn 
rhilip (deceased), Sarah A., Anna A., Abram L., Aaron A. J., George 
and Ollie; these children were all reared in Keokuk county. 

The birth of Charles C. Wonderlich occurred in Jackson town- 
ship, Keokuk county, on the 6th of September, 1856. Until he was 
twenty-six years old he spent his time on his father's farm, going to 
school and assisting in the duties of the farm; in 1882, however, he 
began farming on his own account on an adjoining place. He now has 
ninety acres of excellent and well improved land. 

On the 14th of December, 1881, Rosa I. Wheeler became his wife; 
she is a native of the same county and her father was Calvin Wheeler, 
who was an old settler and died while in the army during the Civil war. 
Miss Wheeler's mother was Sarah M. (Baker) Wheeler. Mr. and Mrs. 
Wonderlich have two children, boy and girl : Dora A., who was born 
on the farm September 10, 1882, and Frank H., born August 26, 1888. 
Mr. Wonderlich was road supervisor in his district and takes an active 
interest in the Republican party. His has been a varied and busy life, 
which mav well serve as a model for those who follow him. 



robert Mcdowell, sr. 

Tales of heroism have been the theme of song and story through- 
out the ages. The soldier has figured prominently in all writings, yet 
there is another kind of heroism which is as worthy of mention, and 



282 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

that is such as is done by the pioneer settlers who meet the difficult 
conditions of life upon the frontier when cut off from the comforts of 
the older east. They establish homes in a wild country, perform the 
arduous task of developing new land with few of the conveniences and 
comforts which they have previously known. The struggle is often 
a stern and hard one, but it has been met by men of strong courage 
and unfaltering purpose. Such a one is Robert McDowell. These 
men deserve all praise and honor and the splendid states of the west 
will ever stand as monuments to their memory. 

Mr. McDowell is now living a retired life in Kinross, Iowa. He 
was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of January, 18 18, 
and comes of Scotch ancestry. His paternal grandfather, Sutfon Mc- 
Dowell, was a Revolutionary soldier under General Washington and 
had his leg shot off in the battle of Billet. He was an officer and 
after losing his leg he obtained a cork leg and remained in command of 
his company until the close of the war, proving a valiant soldier. He 
lived to be about one hundred years of age. General McDowell, who 
fought in the first battle at Bull Run, was a second cousin of the subject 
of this review. Samuel McDowell, the father of our subject, was born 
in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and by occupation was a farmer and 
weaver. He married Rebecca Hallowell, a native of Philadelphia. 
Pennsylvania. Her father lived to be about eighty years of age, while 
her mother reached the very advanced age of one hundred and three 
years. Leaving the Keystone state the parents of our subject removed 
westward and both died when sixty years of age, Samuel McDowell 
passing away in White Pigeon, Michigan. His wife came of English 
ancestry, who were Quakers in religious faith. Eight children ,v're 
born unto this worthy couple, of whom Robert McDowell is the oldest. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 283 

He was reared in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, from the age 
of five years. His father moved across the mountains at that time, by 
wagon, settling near Fort Washington. In early life Mr. McDowell 
was for some time a captain of a boat which sailed on the Susquehanna, 
Delaware and other rivers, and also made coasting trips. He was thus 
engaged for about twelve years. In 1839 he was first married, Miss 
Catherine Herr becoming his wife, and unto them were born twelve 
children, ten of whom reached years of maturity. The mother passed 
away in Keokuk county, Iowa, about 1893. After their marriage 
the young couple took up their abode in Pennsylvania, whence they 
removed to Rock Island county, Illinois, and in 1852 became residents 
of Keokuk county, Iowa, locating in Liberty township, among its first 
settlers. Mr. McDowell secured government land on the prairie, built a 
log house and, after cutting away some timber, began the development 
of a farm which bordered on the English river. There he improved 
his land successfully, carrying on general agricultural pursuits until 
about 1885, when he rented his land to his sons and took up his abode 
in Kinross, where he has since lived. He was a progressive agriculturist, 
wide-awake and enterprising, and his work was successfully carried 
on. He accumulated a large tract of land, at one time becoming the 
owner of sixteen hundred acres. He was also for many years engaged 
in the stock business, buying and shipping, and his annual sales brought 
to him an excellent income in the line of work which he undertook. He 
possessed sound business judgment and enterprise and his efforts proved 
very efficient in winning success. 

Mr. and Mrs. McDowell traveled life's journey together as man 
and wife for fifty-six years. Theirs was a happy married life, in which 
their confidence and love increased as the years went by. Their children 



284 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

were as follows : David, who now resides in Keokuk county ; Catherine, 
deceased; Martin, a resident of Keota; Lovina, the wife of William 
Kent, of- Nebraska; Ellen, the wife of George Dillen, of Keota; Eliz- 
abeth, the wife of John La Fever, of Washington county, Iowa; Sarah, 
the wife of Theodore Green of Washington county; Mrs. Hattie Winter, 
deceased; Robert, who resides upon the old home farm in Liberty town- 
ship; Nancy, the deceased wife of John Lawler; and William and 
Johnie, who have passed away. In 1898 Mr. McDowell was again 
married, his second union being with Mrs. M. E. (Crosby )01daker, who 
was born in Licking county, Ohio, a daughter of Edwin and Dianna 
(Green) Crosby. The mother was a descendant of the well known 
Green family and the father was born in Rhode Island and came of an 
old New England family, his ancestors having crossed the Atlantic in 
the Mayflower. Mrs. McDowell was their sixth child and was reared 
in Licking county, Ohio, until she was about twelve years of age, when 
she became a resident of Iowa City, Johnson county, Iowa. On the 1 st 
of January, i860, she gave her hand in marriage to H. J. Oldaker, and 
became the mother of six children, five of whom are living, namely : 
H. E. ; A. J., deceased ; William G. ; H. W. ; Beulah, the wife of Robert 
Thomas ; and Lola, the wife of Ivan E. Coffey. A. J. Oldaker served 
as county recorded of Iowa county for four years and was a prominent 
and influential resident there, while H. E. Oldaker served as deputy 
county clerk of the county for eight years. 

In his political affiliations Mr. McDowell has been a life-long Demo- 
crat and in early manhood cast his ballot for James K. Polk. His 
fellow-townsmen had honored him with a number of local offices and 
he has taken an active part in the upbuilding of schoolhouses and 
churches and has been the friend of every movement for the promotion 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HIS TOR). 285 

of the general good and for the development of the county in which 
he has lived for so long. He was reared in the faith of the Society of 
Friends and with that denomination has always been identified, exempli- 
fying in his life his Christian faith. In 1876 he made a trip to Phila- 
delphia, where all his relatives were living, he being the only one of the 
family who resides in Keokuk county. He is now enjoying a well- 
earned rest from labor. By carefully watching and improving his 
business opportunities and laboring untiringly for the achievement of a 
competence, he gained an honorable place among the substantial resi- 
dents of this portion of the state. 

JAMES J. TERRELL. 

One of the honored citizens and distinctively representative busi- 
ness men of the thriving village of Ollie, which is located in Jackson 
township, Keokuk county, is Mr. Terrell, and his progressive and 
public spirited attitude has greatly benefited this section of the count}-. 
in whose industrial and civic advancement he has ever shown marked 
interest. James J. Terrell was born in Fayette county, Ohio, on the 6th 
of June, 1848, being a son of Samuel C. Terrell, who was born in 
Virginia, in February, 1802. The latter's father, Samuel Terrell, was 
likewise a native of Virginia and was a member of the Society of 
Friends. By reason of his great repugnance to the institution of slavery , 
which so greatly obtained in his native state, he emigrated thence to 
Ohio in an early day, his son Samuel C. being at the time a mere 
child, and he was numbered among the pioneers of Highland county, 
having located on the site of the present village of Leesburg. He there 
reclaimed and developed an excellent farm, and it may be noted that 



286 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he had one of the most extensive maple-sugar camps in that section, 
which still continues to be celebrated for its products in this line. He 
was finally compelled to abandon this farm, the government authorities 
deciding that this and other land in the vicinity was the property of 
the heirs of General Lee, a distinguished officer of the Revolution. Mr. 
Terrell then purchased another tract of land in the same locality and 
also brought this under effective cultivation. 

On that farm the father of our subject was reared, amid the envir- 
onments of pioneer life, and after his marriage he continued to make 
his home in that locality for several years, his first wife dying there, 
in 1844. They became the parents of three children, all of whom are 
now deceased. In 1847 Samuel C. Terrell consummated a second mar- 
riage, being then united to Mrs. Malinda (Johnson) Horton, the widow 
of Greenbury Horton. She was born and reared in Ohio, being the 
daughter of Micajah and Rachel Johnson, who were pioneers of the 
Buckeye state, where they died, her grandfather having previously 
been the owner of a valuable estate in North Carolina and having beeu 
a clergyman. Samuel C. and Malinda (Johnson) Terrell became the 
parents of four children, of whom one died in infancy, while the 
three surviving are: James J., the immediate subject of this sketch; 
Sarah V., the wife of R. H. Cutler, of Sigourney, this county; and 
Samuel C. of Lancaster, Iowa. In the year 1855 Samuel C. Terrell 
removed with his family from Ohio to Iowa, locating in Jackson town- 
ship, Keokuk county, on a farm of seventy-five acres, which he im- 
proved, and there he continued to reside until he had attained the vener- 
able age of eighty-seven years when he retired from active affairs 
and thereafter made his home in Ollie, with his son James I., until his 
death, which occurred in April, 1889, his wife passing away in October, 
1891. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 287 

James J. Terrell remained at the parental home until he had 
attained the age of twenty-four, and on the last day of the year, 1881, 
he located in Ollie, where he opened a blacksmith and wagon shop, 
which he successfully conducted for several years. He finally established 
a feed mill here and afterward erected and equipped a saw-mill, conduct- 
ing operations with marked success until 1895, when he disposed of his 
interests in the enterprises noted. Eventually, however, he again be- 
came identified with the industrial activities of the place, and he is now 
the owner of the planing mill and wagon and machine shops, which arc 
among the important business establishments of the town. He was the 
first president of the Bank of Ollie, originated the plans for its building 
and was chairman of the committee which had charge of the erection 
of the same, in which connection he drew the warrants in payment 
for all work done on the structure. Mr. Terrell has shown marked 
executive ability and keen business discrimination and he has attained a 
position of independence, being known as one of the substantial citizens 
of the county, while his course has ever been such as to retain to him 
unqualified confidence and esteem. 

Jn politics Mr. Terrell has given an unswerving allegiance to the 
Republican party and has been an active worker in its cause, while he 
has ever taken a deep interest in public affairs of a local nature, and 
has naturally been called upon to serve in offices of trust and respon- 
sibilty. In 1894 he was elected a member of the board of county super- 
visors, retaining this incumbency for a period of six years, while he 
has held various other local offices and has been president of the school 
board for a long term of years. He is a member of the Baptist church 
at Ollie, as is also his wife, and both have taken an active part in its 
work. Fraternally our subject has been identified with the Independent 



288 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Order of Odd Fellows for the past thirty years, being a member of 
Kossuth Lodge, No. 32. He is also a member of the time-honored fra- 
ternity of Freemasons, in which he served his lodge as master, at various 
intervals, for a period of about eight years, while he also represented 
the same in the grand lodge of the state. He is a member of the lodge 
of Knights of Pythias at Ollie and also of the Mutual Benefit Asso- 
ciation here, having been the first president of the latter. 

In 1883 Mr. Terrill was united in marriage to Miss Katherine Bow- 
ersox, who was born in Pennsylvania, on the 21st of September, 185 1, 
and who accompanied her parents on their removal to Iowa when she 
was a child. They first located in Washington county, and when Mrs. 
Terrell was about sixteen years of age they came to Keokuk county. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Terrell have been born eleven children, their names, 
in order of birth, being as follows: Oscar S., Mary M. (deceased), 
David S., Nannie A. (deceased), Frank A., William A., James W., Ger- 
trude A., Mary and Martha (twins, both deceased) and Charles C. (de- 
ceased.) 

CHARLES McKINNIS, M. D. 

So dependent is man upon his fellow-men that the worth of the 
of the individual is largely estimated by what he has done for humanity. 
There is no class to whom greater gratitude is due than to those self- 
abnegating, noble-minded men whose life work has been the alleviation 
of the burden of suffering that rests upon the world, thus lengthening 
the span of human existence. Their influence can not be measured by 
any known standard and their power goes hand in hand with the 
beneficent laws of nature that come from the source of life itself. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 289 

Among" the able representatives of the medical profession in Keokuk 
county is Dr. McKinnis, who is established in practice of medicine and 
surgery in the thriving town of Ollie, his support being of a distinctly 
representative order and his standing in the community, both as a man 
and a physician, being such as to establish him high in the confidence 
and regard of all who know him. 

The old Buckeye state figures as the place of Dr. McKinnis' nativ- 
ity, since he was born in Vinton county, Ohio, on the 22(\ of April, 185 1, 
being a son of Jesse McKinnis, who was likewise born in the same state 
in 1830 and was there reared to maturity. At the outbreak of the war 
of the Rebellion he enlisted as a private in an Ohio regiment of volun- 
teer infantry, with which he was in active service for a period of ninety 
days, within which he contracted a disease which resulted in his 
death about a decade later. In the fall of 1863 Jesse McKinnis, in com- 
pany with his wife and their children, all of whom were born in Ohio, 
came to Iowa and settled on a farm in Jefferson county, where he con- 
tinued in agricultural pursuits until 1865, when he removed to Wash- 
ington county, where he was engaged in farming until his death, which 
occurred in 1872. In his native state he was united in marriage to Miss 
Aliie Wilson, who was born in Maryland, whence her parents emigrated 
to Ohio when she was about ten years of age, her father becoming one 
of the successful farmers of the Buckeye state. They later moved to 
Iowa, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Their names 
were William and Elizabeth Wilson. Jesse and Allie McKinnis became 
the parents of three sons and one daughter, namely : Charles, the im- 
mediate subject of this sketch; George, a resident of Ollie; Mary E., the 
wife of G. B. Richardson of Sigourney, this county; and Jasper, who 
died at the age of ninteen years. 






290 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Dr. McKirmis received his early educational discipline in the pub- 
lic schools of Ohio and Iowa, and that he made proper utilization of the 
advantages afforded him is evident when we revert to the fact that he 
became eligible for the pedagogic profession when a youth, having been 
a successful teacher from the age of twenty-one until that of twenty-five 
years, within which interval he taught one year in the public schools of 
Washington county and the remainder in the schools of Keokuk county, 
having been twenty-two years of age at the time of his father's death. 
After giving up his pedagogic work the Doctor engaged in the drug 
business at Ioka, where he remained until 1882, when he established 
himself in the same line of enterprise in Ollie and also entered upon the 
general practice of medicine here, having thoroughly prepared himself 
for the work of his profession and having been in practice in Ioka prior 
to coming to Ollie. His technical education was received in Keokuk 
Medical College, where he prosecuted his studies with energy and 
marked discrimination. 

In Jefferson county, in 1872, Dr. McKinnis was united in mar- 
riage to Miss Laura Helen McCarty, who was born in Washington 
county, this state, in 1851, being the daughter of Robert and Rebecca 
McCarty, who emigrated from Pennsylvania and became numbered 
among the pioneers of Washington county, Iowa, where their children 
were reared and educated. Dr. and Mrs. McKinnis are the parents of 
three children, namely: Mollie B., who is the wife of R. L. Grimes, a 
jeweler of Dows, Iowa; Ivy, who is the wife of C. W. Long, a hard- 
ware merchant of Dows Iowa; and Stella Grace, who still remains at 
the parental home; all were born and reared in Keokuk county. 

Dr. McKinnis is one of the public spirited citizens and popular 
physicians of this section of the county, and he still continues to conduct 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 291 

a drug- store in Ollie in connection with his general practice, which is 
of wide extern. He has taken at all times a deep interest in public 
affairs of a local nature, and has given his influence and aid in support 
of such measures as have tended to the general welfare, while in his 
political proclivities he has been a stalwart adherent of the Republican 
party, as had been his father also. Fraternally he is identified with 
Ollie Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; with Ioka Lodge, No. 173, 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows; with the organization of Modern 
\\ 01 »lmen at Richland, the Triple Alliance and the Mutual Benefit Asso- 
ciation at Ollie, while he is one of the prominent and honored members 
of four different medical societies. The Doctor and his wife hold mem- 
bership in the Baptist church at Ollie, and he has been clerk of its 
official board for a number of years past, taking a zealous interest in 
both the spiritual and temporal work of the organization. 

\\ [LLIAM R. WOODS. 

Fach calling or business, if honorable, has its place in the scheme 
of human existence, constituting a part of the plan whereby life's meth- 
ods are pursued and man reaches his ultimate destiny, and thus there is 
maintained a social balance to which each contributes. The dignity of 
honest toil and endeavor is the only true dignity, and thus unqualified 
respect is due to those who are of the rank and file of the world's work- 
ers. The subject of this review, who is one of the honored pioneers of 
Keokuk county, where he has maintained his home for nearly forty 
years, may well be classed as one of the world's workers, for his life 
has been one of consecutive endeavor and his course has been such as 
to commend him to the confidence and esteem of all with whom he has 



292 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

been thrown in contact in the various relations of life, while he is clearly 
(.■untied to representation in this volume. 

William R. Woods, who is engaged in the blacksmithing business 
in the village of Ollie, is a native of Dearborn county, Indiana, where 
he was born on the 5th of December, 1836, being a son of Joseph and 
Elizabeth J. (Bushheld) Woods, both of whom were born and reared 
in Pennsylvania and both of whom were of Scotch-Irish lineage. 
Shortly after their marriage they removed from the old Keystone state 
to Dearborn county, Indiana, and there the father of our subject took 
up a tract of government land, whose reclamation and improvement 
he forthwith instituted. Finally, however, he disposed of this farm and 
removed to Jefferson county, in the same state, where he continued in 
agricultural pursuits until his death, in his fifty-fourth year, his wife 
having passed away about 1838. Of their eight children the subject of 
this sketch was the youngest and he is one of the two survivors, the 
other being his brother James, who is a resident of Jefferson county, 
Indiana. Those deceased are as follows: Elizabeth, Samuel, Margaret, 
Joseph, Charles L. and one who died in infancy. 

William R. Woods was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm 
and remained on the homestead until the death of his father; his early 
educational advantages having been such as were afforded in the primi- 
tive schools of the pioneer epoch in Indiana. After the death of his father 
Mr. Woods went to the town of Greenwood, Johnson county, where he 
entered upon an apprenticeship at the blacksmith trade, serving for three 
years and receiving as compensation the sum of one hundred and thirty- 
five dollars, together with his board and clothing. After completing his 
apprenticeship, and having become a skilled artisan, he continued in 
the employ of his instructor for one year, and then proceeded to the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 293 

west, being employed as a journeyman at his trade for the succeeding 
three years, within which he lived in various localities. In 1858 he 
returned to Indiana, and there in the following year he was united 
in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. Brenton, who was born in that state 
in the year 1840, being a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth. E. Brenton. 
and after his marriage our subject engaged in the work of his trade on 
his own responsibility, establishing himself in business in Johnson 
county, Indiana. At the expiration of three years he removed to Marion 
county, where he was employed as a journeyman until 1866, when he 
removed to Illinois, where he carried on a shop about three months, 
and then came to Keokuk county. Iowa, where he has ever since main- 
tained his home. He located in the village of Ioka, where he opened a 
blacksmith shop and conducted business for nearly fifteen years,- until 
1880. Thereafter he was engaged in various pursuits for a number 
of years, and in 1892 he took up his residence in Ollie, where he has 
since been successfully engaged in the blacksmith business, having a 
well ecmipped shop and securing an excellent patronage. To him and 
his estimable wife two children were born, the elder of whom, Elizabeth, 
died at the age of two years, while the younger daughter, Maggie M., 
is the wife of Homer Pridey of Harrison, Nebraska. 

In politics Mr. Woods is a stalwart adherent of the Democrat party 
and he has been an active worker in its cause, while he has been called 
upon to serve in various offices of public trust and responsibility, having 
given able service as mayor of Ollie, while he was incumbent of the 
offices of justice of the peace and township clerk for a number of years 
each. Fraternally he is a popular member of the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. 



294 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

CHARLES REED. 

Charles Reed is an old settler and retired farmer now living in 
Webster, Keokuk county. He was born in Marion county, Indiana, 
October i, 1840. His father, Isaac Reed, was an old settler of Keokuk 
county, Iowa, and a native of Tennessee, where his birth occurred in 
1805. He was there reared and educated and afterward engaged in 
farming to some extent in his native state. However, he removed from 
Tennessee to Indiana when a young man, settling on a farm in the latter 
state. He was married in Tennessee to Sarah Morrison, a native of 
Kentucky, and they became the parents of eleven children, six sons and 
five daughters, of whom Charles was the youngest son and the seventh 
child. These are: William; one who died in infancy; Alexander- an- 
other who died in infancy; James, Griggs, Charles, Eliza, Sarah, Mar- 
garet, and a third who died in infancy. Of the children who reached 
mature years nearly all were reared in Keokuk county, for in 1850 the 
lather removed with his family to Iowa, settling in German township, 
Keokuk county, upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of improved 
land. The following year, however, he removed with his family to 
English River township, where he located upon a farm of a quarter- 
section of raw land. Here with the aid of his sons he cleared the tract 
and improved the place, making it a valuable and highly productive 
farm. His death occurred in 1865, after which his son Griggs lived 
upon the old home place until his death, and his widow yet owns the 
farm. In early life Isaac Reed gave his political support to the Whig 
party and upon its dissolution he joined the ranks of the new Republi- 
can party. He held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of 
Webster, aided in erecting a house of worship there and took an active 
interest in promoting the cause of Christianity. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 295 

Charles Reed was reared on the old home and is indebted to the 
public school system of the country for the educational privileges he 
enjoyed. He was about twenty-five years of age at the time of his lath- 
er's death. He then purchased a tract of land in English River town- 
ship of one hundred and fifty acres, which was wild and uncultivated, 
but with characteristic energy he began its cultivation and improvement 
and made his home thereon for thirty-four years, his attention being 
given continuously to his farm work. He placed his fields under a very 
high state of cultivation and added all modern equipments and acces- 
sories to the place. 

On the 28th of October, 1871, Mr. Reed was united in marriage 
to Laura A. Hollidayy a native of Illinois, born February 12, 1853. 
When two years of age she was brought to Keokuk county, Iowa, by 
her parents, H. M. and Nancy Ann Holliday, who were early residents 
of this portion of the state. They settled in Adams township upon a 
farm of two hundred acres of raw laud and her father at once began 
to plow the fields, plant his crops and in course of time garnered rich 
harvests. It was upon this farm that Mrs. Reed spent her girlhood days, 
iter mother died upon the old homstead and her father passed away on 
a farm not far distant. To Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been born seven 
children, five sons and two daughters: Stella, Frank, Edward L., Donna 
A., Benjamin, Morgan, and Fred. Of this number Frank is now de- 
ceased. All were born and reared on the farm in English River town- 
ship. 

In 1900 Mr. Reed left the old homestead and removed to Webster, 
retiring from active farming life. He purchased a lot in the town and 
built a home there and is now comfortably situated. In his younger days 
he was identified with the Republican party, but for the last several 



296 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

years lias advocated "greenback" principles. Socially he is connected 
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of South English. He is 
a member of the Methodist church of Webster, which he aided in build- 
ing, and takes an active interest in church work and is serving as one of 
its trustees. At the time of the Civil war he manifested his loyalty to 
his country by enlisting in 1861 in the Eighth Iowa Infantry, in which 
he served for one year, being mustered out in 1862. He then resumed 
farm work which he continued with success until his retirement to 
private life. He is now one of the oldest residents of this portion of 
Keokuk county and has witnessed its improvement as the years have 
passed, bearing his part in all the work of development. 



ROBERT H. GEMMILL. 

Robert H. Gemmill is one of the highly respected citizens of South 
English, whose useful and well spent life has not only gained for him 
the confidence of his fellow men, but has also secured for him a comfort- 
able competence which enables him to lay aside all business cares and 
spend his declining days in ease and retirement. His father, John 
Gemmill, was a native of Paisly, Scotland, and on his emigration to 
America in 1846 settled in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, where he followed 
his trade of a weaver for about two years. He then removed to Potters 
Mills, the same state, and remained there until 1854. His next place 
of residence was Milroy, Pennsylvania, where he made his home 111 til 
his death, which occurred in 1887. In 1838 he was united in marriage 
to Miss Jane Dempster, also a native of Scotland, and they became the 
parents of ten children, seven sons and three daughters, who in order of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 297 

birth were as follows: William; John, James W. and Maggie J., all 
three deceased ; Annie; Robert H., our subject; Mathew, deceased; John 
1 ). : Alexander, deceased ; and Kate. 

Mr. Gemmill was born, reared and educated in Centre count)-, Penn- 
sylvania, the date of his birth being April 9, 1850. He remained with his 
parents until he reached the age of nineteen years, and on leaving home 
came to Keokuk county. Iowa, locating in Lafayette township, where 
he worked at farming in the employ of others. In June, 1873, ne mar- 
ried Miss Elizabeth Archer a native of Scotland, and to them were born 
two children, but both are now deceased. 

After his marriage Mr. Gemmill removed to German township, 
where he continued to work for others until 1884, when he purchased 
a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which was all raw land when 
it came into his possession and which he improved. However, he con- 
tinued with his former employer, David Archer, until 1892, when he 
took up his residence upon his own place and devoted his energies to 
its improvement and cultivation until his removal to South English in 
1 90 1. He has since lived in practical retirement, enjoying the fruits of 
his former toil, surrounded by all the comforts which make life worth 
the living. 

Fraternally Mr. Gemmill is an honored member of Naphthali Lodge, 
Xo. 188, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of South English, 
anil the Odd Fellows Lodge, No. 263, of the same place. Politically 
he has always been identified with the Republican party since attaining 
his majority, and in religious belief is a Presbyterian, being an active 
and prominent member of his church. He is a man of upright char- 
acter and is highly respected and esteemed by all who know him. 



29S GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

A. S. HURST. 

For many years the subject of this sketch was one of the active and 
progressive agriculturists of Keokuk county, as well as one of its most 
reliable and honored citizens, and now in his declining years he is enjoy- 
ing a well earned rest at his pleasant home in Webster, free from the 
cares and responsibilities of business life. Mr. Hurst was born in Greene 
county, Pennsylvania, on the i ith of October, 1843, an( l ' s a son ot ~ Hen- 
ry P'. Hurst, who was a native of Lancaster county, that state, where his 
early childhood was passed. The father was quite young on the death 
of his parents and he subsequently made his home with his uncle, Philip 
Hurst, until he attained his majority. He then went to the city of 
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he worked at the carpenter's trade for 
nine years, and from there removed to Clarksville, Greene county, that 
su.te, where he continued to follow the same pursuit until his marriage. 
His next home was in Jefferson, Greene county, where he worked at his 
trade for about three years, and then removed to a farm in the same 
county, though he continued to follow the occupation of carpentering. 
After spending two years there he located on another small farm, which 
he purchased and improved, devoting his energies to its cultivation for 
about seventeen years in connection with work at his trade. In 1866 
he came to Iowa and bought an improved farm of one hundred acres in 
Keokuk county, to which he removed his family the following year. This 
farm was in English River township, and he made it his home until 
called to his final rest on the 2nd of February, 1870, when fifty-seven 
years of age. In 1842 he had married Miss Melvina Stewart, a native 
of Greene county, Pennsylvania and a daughter of Alexander Stewart. 
She was of German descent. By this union were born two children, a 
son and daughter, both of whom are still living, our subject being the 
eldest. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 299 

A. S. Hurst passed the days of his boyhood and youth in the county 
of his nativity and is indebted to its public schools for the educational 
privileges he enjoyed. He remained under the parental roof until he 
reached the age of eighteen years and then learned the carpenter's trade, 
which he followed in Pennsylvania until 1864. On leaving home he 
went to Knox county, Ohio, where he continued to follow his chosen 
occupation for about a year, and then, after a brief visit at home, he 
came to Keokuk county, Iowa, arriving here on the 18th of February, 
1865. He located in English River township, where he worked at his 
trade for one year and then took charge of his father's farm, continu- 
ing its operation after the death of his father until the spring of 1898, 
when he removed to his present home in Webster, where he is now living 
a retired life. 

In the fall of 1867 Mr. Hurst was united in marriage to Miss Sarah 
Miller, a native of Ohio and a daughter of Samuel Miller, who was born 
in Pennsylvania and was a farmer by occupation. She was born June 
28, 1846, in Hancock county, Ohio, where her early life was passed 
and where her education was obtained. In 1855 she accompanied her 
parents on their removal to Keokuk county, Iowa, and became a resident 
of English River township, remaining at home until her marriage. Unto 
Mr. and Mrs. Hurst were born four children, two sons and two daught- 
ers, but the first born died in infancy. Henry P. Hurst, the next of the 
family, is now operating the old homestead farm, a part of which he 
owns. Elizabeth is the wife of S. E. Heaton, a hardware dealer of Web- 
ster. Samuel M. is clerking in his brother-in-law's store. As a public 
spirited and energetic citizen Mr. Hurst has ever borne an important 
part in public affairs and was a member of the vigilance committee of 
Keokuk county until it was disbanded. His political support has always 



300 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

been given the Democratic party and he has taken an active part in pro- 
moting its interests. He is an old and highly respected citizen of his 
adopted county and is justly deserving of prominent mention in its his- 
tory. 

WILLIAM B. WORLEY. 

"The talent of success is nothing more than what you can do well 
and doing well whatever you do, without any thought of fame," says 
Longfellow. A practical illustration of this sentiment is given in the 
life record of Mr. Worley, who is one of the honored pioneers of Iowa, 
a veteran of the war of the Rebellion and one of the substantial and 
highly respected citizens of the town of Ollie, Keokuk county, where 
he has long been engaged in the furniture and undertaking business. 
Springing from sturdy German ancestry, it has been his fortune to in- 
herit the best elements of that industrious and intelligent people, and his 
career has been such as might naturally be expected from such a com- 
bination of attributes. He has achieved a definite and worthy success 
through his own efforts, has ever been as true to the duties of citizen- 
ship as he was loyal to the old flag whose fortunes he so valiantly fol- 
lowed on the battlefields of the south, and he is peculiarly deserving of 
representation in a work of the province of this publication. 

William B. Worley is a native of the old Keystone state of the 
Union, having been born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, on the ist 
of October, 1827. His father, David Worley, was born in Wittenberg, 
Germany, where he was reared, and when a young man he severed 
the ties which bound him to home and native land and emigrated to 
America, locating in Pennsylvania, where eventually was solemnized 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 301 

his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Althouse, who was horn in that state, 
of which her parents were pioneer settlers, both being of stanch old 
German lineage. David and Elizabeth Worley became the parents of 
eight children, of whom all are now deceased except our subject and his 
brother George, who is a resident of Ohio. The names of the children 
are here entered in the order of birth: John, Julia Ann, William B., Su- 
san, George, Katherine, David and Aaron. 

When the subject of this review was a mere child his parents re- 
moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio, becoming numbered among the pio- 
neers of Richland county, where they passed the remainder of their 
lives, the father having there reclaimed and improved a good farm. Wil- 
liam B. was reared amid the surroundings of the pioneer farm and he 
early began to contribute his quota toward the work involved in its im- 
provement and cultivation, while his educational privileges were such 
as fell to the lot of the average youth of the locality and period. lie 
remained on the homestead until the death of his father, after which 
he went to the village of Xewville. where he learned the trade of cabinet- 
making, while at the expiration of one year he turned his attention to work 
at the carpenter trade, in which line he became a skilled artisan. In 
1S5J. when twenty-five years of age, Mr. Worley left his native state 
and came to Iowa, passing the first winter in Cedar county and thence 
going to Washington county, where he was engaged in the work of his 
trade until i860, when he went to Missouri, where he remained until 
after the harvest season of that year, then returning to Iowa. This 
was in the crucial epoch which led up to the Civil war, and when the rebel 
guns thundered against the ramparts of old Fort Sumter Mr. Worley's 
intrinsic patriotism and loyalty were roused to action, and in 1861 he 
tendered his services in defense of the Union, enlisting as a private in 



302 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Company I, Fortieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served 
for three years, the regiment being commanded by Colonel Garnett. He 
participated in the battle of Seven Pines and in numerous other minor en- 
gagements, but the regiment was assigned to garrison duty during the 
greater portion of the time, and our subject was in the quartermaster's 
department at the time of the expiration of his term, receiving his honor- 
able discharge in 1864, at Iowa City. He then came to Keokuk county, 
where he had taken up a tract of land shortly before enlisting for the 
war, and here he established himself upon his farm, which comprised 
eighty acres, engaged in agricultural pursuits, making excellent improve- 
ments on his place, while he worked more or less at his trade, having 
erected three residences in Jackson township for his own use prior to 
taking up his home in Ollie, where he has resided since 1888. Here 
he engaged in the furniture and undertaking business, and he now has a 
large and well equipped establishment for a town of the size, while 
his appointments for the proper conducting of his enterprise as a funeral 
director are of the best order. Mr. Worley has ever shown a spirit of 
absolute fairness and impregnable integrity in all his dealings, and thus 
he has gained the confidence of the community and secured an excellent 
supporting patronage, while he is honored as one of the pioneers of the 
county and as one who has ably played his part in furthering the advance- 
ment and civic prosperity of this favored section of the Hawkeye state. 
In politics he has given an unequivocal allegiance to the Republican 
party from the time of its organization, and while he has not been 
afflicted with political ambition of a personal sort he has ever taken a 
deep interest in the party cause, while he has served in various offices 
of local order. He and his wife are consistent members of the baptist 
church in their home town and aid in its direct work and collateral 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 303 

benevolences, while their pleasant home has ever been notable for the 
cordial hospitality which is there ever in evidence. In the state of Ohio, 
in 1851, Mr. Worley was united in marriage to Miss Jane Crowner, 
who was born there, a daughter of John Crowner, one of the pioneers 
of the Buckeye state. To our subject and his estimable wife have 
been born nine children, their names, in order of birth, being as follows : 
John, Sabina, Lane, Gertrude, Ada, George, William. Ollie and Frank. 
All are living except John and Gertrude and all are well established in 
life. 

JOSEPH BROW X. 

I o endure the toils of early pioneer life, not to give up amid the 
many discouragements that beset one who ventures beyond the beaten 
paths, and at last to feel that the vast structure of civilization around 
him has been partially reared by himself, i-s a reward that comes to the 
early settlers of our country and causes a feeling of contentment with 
life's efforts. In the history of Keokuk county Joseph Brown and his 
father deserve a prominent place. 

Thomas Brown, the father of our s^oject, was born and reared in 
Pennsylvania, was one of the brave men who struggled for the second 
and complete vindication of America in the war of 18 12, and shortly 
afterward came west and settled in Knox county, Ohio. There in the 
forests, from which the Indians and wild beasts had not yet been driven, 
he cleared a farm and built his home. Here was his residence until 
1S48. and then in a wagon he journeyed to Iowa with his family; he took 
up the present farm of one hundred and sixty acres and brought it into 
a state of cultivation; this he later increased by three hundred acres. 



304 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

He lived faithful to all the duties of citizenship, allied with the Demo- 
cratic party, and passed away in 1854. While in Ohio he married 
Nancy Markley; she came from Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, 
to Knox county, Ohio; her parents were among the earliest settlers of 
the latter county. To this worthy couple were born sixteen children, 
of whom only three are now (1902) living. 

Joseph Brown was the fifteenth in order of birth of these children 
and was born December 22, 1833, in Knox county, Ohio. It was in 
his sixteenth year that he came with his father to Iowa, and there he 
completed his education in the district schools. His father died when 
he was twenty-one years old, and then he rented the old home place and 
one hundred acres besides; the latter he had to clear before it was 
suitable for cultivation. He now owns two hundred and twenty acres 
of fine land. In August of 1801 Joseph Brown enlisted in the For- 
tieth Iowa Volunteer Infantry and through three years he served in many 
of the important engagements of the war, being on the skirmish line 
at the siege of Vicksburg. Being mustered out in 1864, he returned 
to his farm labors. 

In 1876, in Pennsylvania, Mr. Brown married Sarah Hice, who 
was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1838; she came to Iowa 
when thirty-five years of age. Her parents, were William and Hannah 
Hice, both old settlers of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Brown had two 
children, one of whom is dead. Henry Hice was born in 1879 ar) d is 
now farming the old homestead. Mr. Brown is identified with the 
Republican party, and is prominent in the affairs of the Baptist church, 
which he helped to build. All matters of importance to the community 
have found in him a zealous supporter, and his influence has ever been 
011 the side of rieht. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 305 

DeWITT C. BAKER. 

A retired farmer and representative citizen of the village of Ollie, 
Mr. Baker has been intimately identified with the industrial activities 
and material progress of this favored section of the Hawkeye state, 
and he is most appropriately given a place in this compilation, which 
has to do with those who have been the founders and builders of Keokuk 
county. 

Like many another of the sterling citizens of this state, Mr. Baker 
is a native of Tennessee, having been born in Jefferson county, on the 
22d of July, 1833. His father, John Baker, was a native of the Old 
Domininion, having been born in the state of Virginia, the 
family having been there established in the colonial epoch of our 
national history. He removed from his native state to Tennessee and 
became one of the honored citizens of that state, having been a powder 
manufacturer by vocation and having been a colonel in the state militia. 
He was loyal to the section in which he had been reared, and when the 
Civil war was inaugurated he enlisted for services in the Confederate 
army and did valiant duty in behalf of the cause, while previously he 
had attained no little distinction as an Indian fighter. He was promi- 
nent in the ranks of the Democratic party in Tennessee, and there he 
died in the year 1872, at the age of seventy-six years, having been born 
in 1796. He was a man of ability and sterling integrity, ever command- 
ing the esteem of those with whom he came in contact. In Tennessee 
he was united in marriage to Miss Martha Frazier, who was born in 
Pennsylvania, whence, in her childhood, she accompanied her parents 
on their removal to Tennessee, where she passed the remainder of her 
life, her death occurring on January 9, 1866, at the age of seventy-five; 



306 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

she was born in 1 791. John and Martha Baker became the parents of 
five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the youngest, the 
others being Alary (deceased). Elsie, and Charles and John, both of 
whom are deceased. The father of our subject became a prominent 
drover in Tennessee, purchasing large numbers of horses and mules 
annually and driving them through to Florida, and his efforts in this 
line of enterprise were attended with marked success. 

DeWitt Clinton Baker, to whom this review is dedicated, was 
reared and educated in his native state, where he completed 
his education at the age of twenty years. He forthwith 
gave inception to his independent :areer. since he then came 
in Iowa in 1853. and became one of the pioneer settlers of 
Keokuk county. He located on a tract of government land in Richland 
township, where he developed a fine farm and where he continued to 
maintain his home until the year 1876, having been successful in his 
enterprise, which included diversified farming and stockraising. In the 
Centennial year he removed to Jackson township, where he became the 
owner of a landed estate of about four hundred acres, the major portion 
of which he reclaimed and placed under effective cultivation, while his 
business ability and progressive spirit was shown in the work which he 
accomplished in connection with the development of the agricultural 
resources of this section, since for a period of about eight years he 
devoted his attention largely to the buying of raw land, clearing and 
improving the same and then disposing of the property, whose value had 
been, of course, greatly enhanced Thus he contributed in no small 
measure to the substantial progress of this section, and his course was 
ever such in connection with his various transactions as to retain to him 
unqualified confidence and respect on the part of all with wTrom he 
had dealings. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 307 

On the 28th of December, 1X54. Mr. Baker was united in marriage 
to Miss Virtue A. Edwards, who was born in Brighton, Washington 
county, Iowa, the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Edwards, who 
were pioneers of that county, as were they later of Keokuk county. Of 
the ten children born to our subject and his estimable wife, three are 
deceased. — Margaretta, Melissa and Lela. Those surviving are as fol- 
lows: Martha, Joseph E., Ella, John C, Nora A., Charles D. and Will- 
iam F.. all of whom were born and reared in this county. Mrs. Baker 
died November 7, 1890, at Ollie, Iowa. In March, 1892, Mr. Baker 
married Martha A. (Brown) Fye, widow of W. G. Fye, who was born 
in Keokuk county, May 19, 1855. She was the daughter of James and 
Rebecca Brown, who came from Ohio and settled in Iowa in the early 
days; they spent their declining days and died in Iowa. Mrs. Baker has 
two daughters by first marriage. Lillian and Bessie Fye. 

At the time of the Civil war Mr. Baker enlisted in the Third Mis- 
souri Volunteer Infantry, a mounted regiment, with which he served 
six months. In 1862 he enlisted a second time, for three years, be- 
coming a private in Company I, of the Fortieth Iowa Volunteer In- 
fantry, with which he was in active service until January, 1865, when 
he received his honorable discharge, having done valiant service in sup- 
port of the Union during the great fratricidal conflict in which a man's 
foes were veritably of his own household, as was exemplified in the case 
of our :.ubject, for his father was a soldier in the Confederate service, as 
has already been noted. During his long term of service the subject of 
this review was in many notable conflicts, having participated in the 
siege of Vicksburg and been present at the time of the taking of the 
city of Little Rock, Arkansas, while his regiment also took part in 
Banks' celebrated Red river expedition and participated in the battle 






308 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of Jenkins' Ferry and several minor engagements. Mr. Baker was mus- 
tered out of the service at Little Rock, Arkansas, in January, 1865, 
and after receiving his honorable discharge returned to his home in 
Keokuk county and turned his attention to farming in Richland town- 
ship, (if which fact mention has already been made. In 1889 he took 
up his residence in the thriving town of Ollie, where he is the owner 
of considerable property, while he still retains in his posession a good 
farm of eighty-eight acres. 

Mr. Baker has ever maintained a lively interest in public affairs of 
a local nature and has done all in his power to forward the advancement 
and material properity of his home county. His political support was 
given to the Democratic party until 1896, and when he became a Repub- 
lican, and he has been called upon to serve in various offices of trust and 
responsibility, among which it may be noted that he has been incumbent 
of the position of justice of the peace in Jackson township for fifteen 
years, while for three years he was a member of the county board of 
supervisors. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order and 
the Knights of Pythias, while he and his wife are devoted members of 
the Baptist church in their home town, taking an active part in its work. 
The family has long been prominent in the social life of the community, 
and its members all enjoy the unqualified esteem of those who know 
them, while a refined hospitality is ever in evidence in the attractive 
home of our subject and his wife. 

JOHN P. JONES. 

Among the prominent agriculturists of Keokuk county, there are 
few better known or more widely respected than Mr. Jones, the veteri- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 309 

nary surgeon and horse dentist of Steady Run. Coming to this region 
in 1845, when a mere infant, he has grown up with the country, and 
having spent the greater part of his life on the farm, there are few, 
if any, who excel him in practical knowledge of agriculture. He was 
born in Jefferson county, Iowa, February 2j, 1844, and is the son of 
Alexander and Comfort T. (Ford) Jones. 

Alexander Jones, also a veterinary surgeon and a prosperous agri- 
culturist, was one of those strong, vigorous men who assisted in the 
opening up of this county to settlers. Born in North Carolina, August 
8, 1800, he was, by his father, of Welch extraction and by his mother 
of English When a lad nine years old lie moved with his parents 
to a farm in east Tennessee, where he spent his youth and early manhood. 
In the schools of his neighborhood he received a fair education, and on 
the home farm practical training for his life work. At the early age of 
eighteen he rented a farm in his vicinity and started life for himself. At 
this same time he married Comfort T. Ford, who was born in Ten- 
nessee, July 31, 1800. and there grew to womanhood. Of this union 
there were seven children, the first three of whom were born in Ten- 
nessee—Henry, October 16, 1825; Mary. October 8, 1828; and Sarah, 
Ma) 16, 1831. William was born in Indiana, November 27, 1833; 
Cynthy Ann, February 24, 1836; John P. is mentioned below; and Alex- 
ander was born on the Steady Run homestead, September 29, 1846. Mrs. 
Jones was a sympathetic wife and mother and a great help to her hus- 
band. She died June 14, 1878. 

Alexander Jones continued on the rented farm in Tennessee until 
he was twenty-seven years old, when he moved his family to Indiana, 
where he settled on a farm of his own. Here he put forth his strong 
manly efforts 'in the opening up of the new country, and made his farm 



310 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

one of the most productive in his section. After eight years, however, 
he decided to cast his lot with the new settlers of Iowa, and moved with 
his wife and children to Jefferson county in 1841. Here he rented a 
farm upon which he remained until 1845. In the meantime he found 
in Keokuk county a hundred and twenty acre tract of new land which 
struck him as an excellent place for a permanent settlement, located as 
it was in the fertile district of Steady Run. Coming into possession 
of this in 1845, he moved here and spent the rest of his active life in 
clearing up and improving it. He had in time a very attractive place, 
and became one of the well-to-do farmers of this region. Besides at- 
tending to the active duties of his estate he was employed by farmers 
far and near as a veterinary surgeon. This profession he had learned 
from his forefathers, many of whom had practiced it for generations. 
Being very successful in this line he materially increased his income by 
his practice. He lived to the age of seventy-eight, and died December 
3, 1884. His last days were spent in retirement. As one of the intel- 
ligent early settlers of the county Mr. Jones always had a great deal to 
do with public affairs. For a number of years he served as trustee of 
his town, and managed affairs with a wisdom and fidelity, which reflected 
great credit upon his integrity, and his remarkable business ability. He 
was one of the substantial members of the Methodist Episcopal denomi- 
nation of his place, and assisted materially in the building of the 
church. 

John P. Jones has spent the greater part of his life in Keokuk 
county. Coming here with his father when but one year old, he received 
his education in the schools of his neighborhood, which he attended at 
irregular periods until he was twenty-three years old. During this 
period of his life especially during the later years he assisted his father 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL Hi STORY. 3ll 

in clearing up the farm, and also in his professional duties, becoming 
an adept in the last. At the age of twenty-three he assumed the entire 
management of the farm, which he has since continued. On September 
i. 1867, he married Martha J. Stubbs, who was born in Tennessee, 
November 1, 1837, and there grew to womanhood. In 1865 she moved 
with her parents, C. N. and Mary E. Stubbs, to a farm in Keokuk 
county, where she resided until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Jones 
have had seven children : Henry L., born June 7, 1868; Mary A., Octo- 
ber 24, 1869; Sarah E., September 4, 1871 ; John W., August 26, 1873; 
Julia A., October 10, 1875; Lucie C, January 11, 1878; and Alexander 
].. June 22, 1880. All were born and reared on the family homestead. 
Mr. Jones has proved himself quite as able an agriculturist as his 
father was, and he has a farm of which he may well be proud. As a 
farmer, he is progressive and thoroughly up-to-date, and at the same 
time is extremely practical. Aside from his agricultural work, he has 
an extensive practice as a veterinary surgeon and horse dentist, at which 
he is very successful. He has made well out of his different lines of 
business, and is considered one of the well-to-do farmers of his county. 
As was his father, Mr. Jones is an ardent Democrat in politics and takes 
an active interest in public affairs. Reared in the Methodist faith, 
he is an earnest member of that church, of which he has held several 
offices and is now acting as trustee, performing his duties with fidelity 
and marked ability. He is well and favorably known and has hosts of 
friends throughout his county. 



312 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

JAMES A. GREENLEE. 

James A. Greenlee, of Richland, has for years been one of the promi- 
nent stock dealers of his section, and is still carrying on an extensive 
trade in this line. He not only speculates in cattle, but raises and breeds 
some of the finest in his state. Having invested a large amount of 
the proceeds of his business in real estate he is also a large landowner; 
in fact he is one of the largest in the county. Mr. Greenlee comes of a 
family of pioneer settlers. His grandfather came from Pennsylvania in 
the early days and settled in Kentucky. His father, John Greenlee, was 
an energetic man, who assisted in the opening of this county to settlers. 
Born in Kentucky, in 1807, he spent his early days in that state. In 
1841 he moved to Miami county. Ohio, where he remained for about 
four years. Later, in 1845, be decided to cast his lot with the men 
who were gaining possession of the rich lands of Iowa. Coming to 
Keokuk county, he purchased land of George Cook, of Sigourney, a fine 
tract three- fourths of a mile from Blackhawk Mills in the township of 
Clear Creek. Here he spent many years in clearing and improving his 
land, and became one of the most successful farmers in the region. He 
spent the last seven years of his life in Richland township, four miles 
north of Richland, and died at the age of sixty-seven. During his young 
manhood he married Nancy Bleyn, who was born in Kentucky in 1807. 
She died in the same year as her husband, 1874. By this marriage 
there were seven children, two sons and five daughters, James A. being 
the third child and the oldest son. 

James A. Greenlee was born in Lewis county, Kentucky, March 4, 
1838, and was but seven years old when the parents came to Iowa. It 
was therefore in the new township of Clear Creek that he received his 



Genealogical and biographical history. 313 

rearing and the training for his lifework. Here in a little log school- 
house he obtained his education, acquiring habits of self-reliance and 
alertness, which were of value to him in later years. After leaving 
school he remained at home for some time, assisting in the manage- 
ment of his father's farm. While living here he married Sarah John, 
and among their children was a son named John, who is now in business 
with his father. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Gieenlee settled upon 
a farm in the township of Richland, five miles north of the city of that 
name. Here he engaged in general farming and gradually worked into 
the stock-raising business. Investing in thoroughbreds he made a spe- 
cialty of breeding them, and in time began shipping them to eastern 
markets. Fairfield in Jefferson county is one of the shipping points in 
his vicinity, and from this place he annually shipped large droves of 
cattle. As his stock has been among the best put on the market it 
has always commanded for him a high price. His general farming he 
has by no means neglected, and his crops have been large and among 
the best in the county. He has from time to time purchased new land 
and now owns about five hundred acres of rich land, which is well im- 
proved and largely under cultivation. For twenty-four years he has 
been a resident of Richland and now owns one of the handsomest resi- 
dences in the vicinity. 

Mr. Greenlee is a public spirited man, who has all his life helped 
to further both by word and deed the up-building of all beneficial indus- 
tries in his section. He is popular in his county and has filled local 
offices with eminent ability. He has pronounced political convictions 
and affiliates with the Gold Democrats. Fraternally he has belonged 
to the Free and Accepted Masons for thirty-six years, and for eighteen 
years has served as treasurer of his lodge, exercising both wisdom and 



314 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

marked fidelity in the discharge of his duties. There are probably but 
few better known or more highly esteemed men in the county than Mr. 
Greenlee. 

PERTILLER WHITSON. 

The great and prosperous commonwealth of Iowa had as sterling 
and heroic a band of pioneers as can be claimed by any other state in 
the Union, and those who aided in laying broad and deep the founda- 
tions upon which has been reared the magnificent superstructure of 
material prosperity and enlightened and worthy citizenship well merit 
a place on the pages of history, in order that a perpetual record may be 
left concerning their labors and personalities. The distinction of being 
one of the honored pioneers of Keokuk county belongs to the gentle- 
man whose name initiates this paragraph, and it was his to contribute 
his quota to the development of the resources of this section and to 
attain a definite success through his efforts in connection with the great 
basic industry of agriculture. He has passed the psalmist's span of three 
score years and ten, and while retaining exceptional mental and physical 
vigor, has practically retired from the more onerous duties and cares of 
active business, enjoying the dignified repose which is the just reward 
of his years of ceaseless toil and endeavor. He has a pleasant home in 
the village of Ioka, where he has the confidence and esteemed of all who 
know him, while his memory forms a connecting link between the early 
pioneer days of the state and those of the present, as the glorious twen- 
tieth century rolls into the cycle of the ages. 

Pertiller Whitson was born in White county, Tennessee, on the 
18th of July, 1828, being a son of Reuben Whitson, who likewise 
was born in that state. The latter was there reared to manhood and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 315 

followed the vocation of farming until 1841, when he became numbered 
among the pioneer settlers of Iowa, locating on a tract of government 
land 111 Keokuk county, and here he and his sons gave themselves to the 
task of reclaiming the land and placing it under cultivation. In 1843 
he disposed of his farm, which was located in Jackson township, and 
thereupon effected the purchase of a tract of two hundred acres lying 
one-half mile west of his original place. This farm also was placed 
undei effective cultivation and good improvements of a permanent 
nature were made on the same. He later passed one year on another farm 
in this township and on May I, 1854. he died in the village of Fairfield, 
where he had made his home less than one year. In the state of Kentucky 
Reuben VVhitson was united in marriage to Miss Mary Bray, a native of 
that state, and of this union ten children were born, namely: Nancy, 
James, Richard and Jerry, who are deceased ; Pertiller, the subject of 
this sketch ; Andrew; Elizabeth; Reuben, Jr., is dead; William; and John 
Calvin, who is deceased. All except the three youngest of the children 
were born in Tennessee, the latter having been born after the removal 
of the parents to Iowa. The father of our subject was a Whig in his 
political proclivities and both he and his wife were members of the 
Separatist Baptist church, and the former assisted in the erection of the 
first church of that denomination in Keokuk county. The mother of our 
subject died in 1878. 

Pertiller Whitson, the immediate subject of this review, was a youth 
of about sixteen years at the time when the family came to Iowa, and 
thus he has passed the major portion of his life in this state, his early 
educational discipline having been completed in the district schools 
of Keokuk county, while he continued to assist his father in his farming 
operations until he had attained his legal majority, when he gave incep- 



316 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tion to his independent career by locating upon a farm of fort}' acres 
in Jackson township, clearing and improving the place and showing 
marked discrimination and energy in his labors, through which he 
bought his farm under an excellent state of productivity. He there 
continued to maintain his home for a period of five years, at the expir- 
ation of which he took up his residence in Fairfield, where he was 
engaged in the teaming business for the ensuing two years. He then 
went to Lucas county, where he remained for a time, after which he 
settled in Jefferson county, where he was successfully engaged in farm- 
ing for an interval of twelve years. Mr. Whitson then disposed of his 
interests in that locality and returned to Keokuk county and purchased a 
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Jackson township. This he 
developed into one of the valuable places of the county, making ex- 
cellent improvements and bringing the land under a fine state of cultiva- 
tion. He continued to give his attention to diversified fanning until 
1891, when he retired, taking up his residence in Ioka, where he has a 
pleasant home. 

In the year 1849 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Whitson to 
Miss Arida Bussell, who was born and reared in Tennessee, being a 
daughter of George Bussell. Of this union three daughters were born : 
Elizabeth S., Glathie E. (deceased) and Mary Jane. Mrs. Whitson 
was summoned to eternal rest in 1854, and in 1858 our subject was 
united in marriage to Miss Nancy Brown, who was born in Ohio, and 
was there reared and educated. Her father, Thomas Brown, removed 
thence to Iowa in the early days and became one of the pioneer settlers 
of Keokuk county, where he passed the remainder of his life. Mr. 
and Mrs. Whitson are the parents of three children : Sarah A., Elizabeth 
A. and Nancy A. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 319 

In politics Mr. Whitson accords allegiance to the Democratic part}-, 
and his religions faith is that of the Missionary Baptist church, of 
which he and his wife are both zealous and consistent members. He 
aided materially in the erection of the church edifice in Ioka and is in- 
cumbent of the office of deacon, taking an active part in the advancement 
of the spiritual and temporal work of the church. He has ever shown 
a deep interest in all that makes for the well-being of the community 
and has been known as a progressive and public spirited citizen of 
the county where so many years of his life have been passed and where 
he is known and honored for his sterling worth of character. Such 
are the men who have been the founders and builders of this great 
commonwealth, and Mr. Whitson is eminently entitled to representa- 
tion in this compilation. 

ULYSSES GRANT COVER. 

Prominent among the business men of Keswick is one who for 
several years has been identified with the financial interests of the vil- 
lage, U. G. Cover, the present cashier of the Cover Banking Company 
of that place. He is a native of Iowa, born in Millersburg, Iowa county, 
January, 12, 1865, and is a son of Aaron Cover, one of the prominent 
old settlers of the county and the president of the Cover bank. The 
father was born in Maryland and in 1855 came to Iowa, afterward 
settling in Iowa county. He began life in this state as a blacksmith 
at Millersburg and was then in limited circumstances, but through his 
own energy and well directed efforts he became quite well-to-do and 
is to-day one of the substantial citizens of Iowa. He married Mahala J. 
Huff, a native of Ohio, born near Fostoria. She died at the age of fifty- 



320 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

seven years. There were six children born of that union, four sons 
and two daughters, and of these our subject is the second in order of 
birth and the second son. 

U. G. Cover spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Millers- 
burg and to its public schools he is indebted for his early educational 
privileges, though he later pursued a commercial course at the Iowa City 
Business College. He began his business career as manager and part 
owner of a store at Keswick, which was continued under the firm 
name of Cover & Baird. He was only eighteen years of age when be 
became connected with that establishment as clerk and three years later 
he became a member of the firm. He continued to engage in mercantile 
business until 1900, when the Cover Bank was organized and he was 
made its cashier, a position which he has since successfully filled. This 
bank has a capital stock of thirty thousand dollars and is one of the 
leading institutions of the county, its success being certainly due in a 
large measure to the efficiency of our subject, who is one of the prin- 
cipal stockholders and manager of the same. Although still compara- 
tively a young man, Mr. Cover has been in business in Keswick for 
twenty years, and his ability, enterprise and upright methods have 
established for him an enviable reputation. He is well known through- 
out the county as one of the most progressive and reliable business men 
within its borders. On the 31st of October, 1900, was celebrated the 
marriage of Mr. Cover and Miss Cora A. Butcher, a daughter of George 
Butcher, and a native of Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Cover occupy quite a 
prominent position in the social circles of Keswick. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 321 

WILLIAM H. BRAGG. 

More than half a century has fallen into the abyss of time since was 
witnessed the arrival in Keokuk county of the family of which the 
subject of this review is an honored representative, and within all the 
intervening years the name has been consecutively and intimately asso- 
ciated with the industrial development and material and civic advance- 
ment of this favored section of the Hawkeye state. It is thus need- 
less to enter into any series of statements as showing how clearly is 
Mr. Bragg entitled to specific mention in a compilation of this character, 
and he stands to-day as one of the successful and representative farmers 
of Jackson township, while his is the distinction of being a native son 
of the county where he has practically passed his entire life. 

William H. Bragg was born in Jackson township on the 3d ot 
August, 1847, being a son of Marshall E. Bragg, who was born in the 
state of Kentucky in 1812 and was there reared to the age of eighteen 
years when he removed to Illinois. He located on a farm near Spring- 
field, in Sangamon county, and there devoted his attention to agri- 
cultural pursuits for a period of fifteen years, also finding no little 
demand for his services as a wagonmaker, a trade which he had ac- 
quired in his early youth. In 1845 ne disposed of his interests in 
Illinois and came to Keokuk county, Iowa, settling on a farm of forty 
acres in the immediate vicinity of the present thriving town of Ollie. 
The land had never been turned by the plowshare, but Mr. Bragg at once 
turned his attention to its development and cultivation, thus continuing 
until the spring of 1852, when he disposed of the property and secured 
another tract of raw land, two miles west of his former place, also 
clearing and improving this tract, which comprised fifty acres. In 1858 



322 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his health became so greatly impaired that he disposed of his farm, 
his intention being to return to Kentucky, but his strength was not suffi- 
cient to justify him in attemping the trip, and in the same year he 
purchased forty acres of the present home farm of our subject, which 
continued to be his home until his death, which occurred in 1861, as the 
result of paralysis. He was a man of the highest integrity in all 
the relations of life and was honored by all who knew him, while 
through his efforts he did effective service in forwarding the develop- 
ment of this section of the county. In politics he was a stanch Demo- 
crat, and he held the office of township trustee and was shown divers 
other evidences of public confidence and esteem. His religious faith 
was that of the Baptist church, and he was one of the prominent mem- 
bers of the church organization in the county, having assisted in the 
erection of the first church edifice built by this denomination in Keokuk 
county, while both he and his devoted wife were zealous and faithful 
workers in the church. 

In the state of Illinois Marshall E. Bragg was united in marriage 
to Miss Sarah Antle, who was born in Kentucky in the year 181 1 and 
removed thence with her parents to Illinois in 1830. She died in Jackson 
township, this county, in 1889, and her memory is held dear by those 
who came within the sphere of her gracious and kindly influence. Her 
children were eleven in number, the subject of this sketch having been 
the ninth in order (if birth, while five of the children died in infancy. Of 
the others : Mary Ann, Elizabeth, and John C, are deceased; Martha ]., 
is the wife of L. \\". Smithart ; William H., is the subject of this sketch; 
and Susan is the wife of Melvin Widner. 

William H. Bragg, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared 
under the invigorating disclipine of the farm, early beginning to assist 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 323 

in the work pertaining thereto and receiving his early educational train- 
ing in the pioneer schools, which he was able to attend only in a desultory 
way. He was but thirteen years of age at the time of his father's death, 
and from that time forward he was compelled to depend largely on 
his own resources. That his self-reliant spirit, his industry and his keen 
business sagacity have proved adequate to meeting all contingencies and 
emergencies, his position to-day assures. He had on the start a farm 
of forty acres and to this he has added until he now has a well improved, 
highly productive and most attractive place of one hundred and ninety 
acres, while prosperity has crowned his effective and well-directed efforts. 
He is one of the progressive and public spirited citizens of the county 
and takes a lively interest in local affairs, being a stalwart supporter 
of the principles and policies of the Democratic party. He was incum- 
bent of the office of township trustee for the long period of sixteen 
years, while he also rendered effective service as justice of the peace, 
his fairness and good judgment gaining to him unequivocal confidence. 
The family take a prominent part in the social life of the community, 
and their pleasant home is a center of refined hospitality. 

In 1870 Mr. Bragg was united in marriage to Miss Mary Curtis, 
who was born in Indiana and who was a mere child at the time her 
parents, Henry and Eliza Curtis, removed thence to Iowa, being num- 
bered among the early settlers in Keokuk county, where they took up their 
residence in 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Bragg became the parents of six 
sons and six daughters, and six of the number are deceased. The 
names of the children are here entered in the order of birth : Nora, 
deceased ; John C. ; Andrew and Harry, both deceased ; William R., 
Marshall E., Willard T., Eva and Sadie; and Louraine, who is deceased,' 
as are also two other children, who died in infancy. 



321 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ANDREW GARRETT. 

Among the representatives of the agricultural interests of Keokuk 
county that Virginia has furnished to this state is Andrew Garrett, who 
was born in Morgan county of the Old Dominion, on the 22A of March, 
1836. His father, Silas Garrett, was also a native of that state, where 
he spent his early childhood, and then went with his parents to Kentucky, 
where he remained with his father until his marriage. He wedded 
Elizabeth Cheatam, a native of Kentucky, and they became the parents of 
eleven children, eight sons and three daughters, as follows: Jeremiah, 
John and Milton, all deceased; Eliza J., the wife of Caleb Reynolds, of 
Delta; Robert, deceased; James H. ; Mary, the widow of Sam White; 
Andrew ; Laurael, who has departed this life ; Eliza ; and William. All 
of the children were born in Iowa, with the exception of the first 
named, who was born in Kentucky. For a time the father resided in 
Indiana, but leaving that state he came with his family to Iowa, locating 
in Jefferson county, near Fairfield, making his home on a farm there for 
nine years. He then came to Keokuk county and settled on a farm in 
Washington township. Here he purchased two hundred acres of land, 
but soon afterward sold that tract and bought another farm in the same 
township. The second farm he subsequently sold and then went to live 
with his daughter, Mrs. Reynolds, dying at her home at the advanced age 
of ninety-three years. He was always a stanch Republican from the 
formation of the party and was at one time a member of the Christian 
church, but later in life joined the United Brethren church. His life was 
honorable and upright and he left to his family the priceless heritage of 
an untarnished name. 

Andrew Garrett spent his childhood days in Indiana, remaining 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 325 

with his parents until about tenty-two years of age, when, desiring 

to have a home of his own, lie completed his arrangements for this by his 
marriage to Miss Hester Crocker, a native of Pennsylvania, in which 
state she spent her early childhood, remaining with her parents until her 
marriage. Eleven children have been born to them, six sons and five 
daughters, of whom eight are yet living, namely : Marion ; Thomas A. ; 
Elizabeth, the wife of Perry Nelson, of Deep River, Iowa; Samuel E. ; 
Grant; Frances, the wife of Delmar Hewitt; Ida May, the wife of 
Henry Bell ; and Earnest. 

After his marriage Mr. Garrett located upon a farm of eighty 
acres in Washington township and made his home thereon for two 
years. He then removed to the farm where he now lives and at one 
time had a large tract of land here and was extensively engaged in 
general farming, but of recent years he has sold all of the place with the 
exception of eighty acres, which he has under a high state of improve- 
ment, equipped with the accessories of a model farm of the twentieth 
century. His farm work has been the means of bringing to him a com- 
fortable competence and his career has been a prosperous one, owing 
to his diligence and capable management. When age gave him the right 
of franchise he cast his ballot for the men and measures of the Republican 
party and has since followed its banner. He is a member of the Ken- 
drick Chapel Methodist Episcopal church and is found as a friend of all 
measures for the promotion of the county's best interests. 

LEVI ATT1G. 

A representative of the agricultural interests of Keokuk county for 
many years, Levi Attig is now living retired. He is one of the early set- 



326 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tiers of this portion of the state and has therefore been an interested wit- 
ness of the growth and development which have wrought a marvelous 
transformation here. He was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, Janu- 
ary 22, 1831, and is a son of George and Susan (Gable) Attig. The 
father, also a native of the Keystone state, spent his entire life there and 
throughout his business career worked at the tailor's trade, following 
that pursuit until he reached an advanced age. In his political views he 
was a stalwart Democrat in early life, but on the organization of the 
Republican party joined its ranks and continued one of its faithful 
followers until his death. His religious faith was indicated by his 
membership in the Winebrennerian church, or Church of God. He 
died in 1870 at the age of sixty-seven years. He had married in 1828 
in Perry county, Pennsylvania, and his wife, who bore the maiden 
name of Susan Gable, was, like him, a native of the Keystone state. 
They became the parents of six children, five sons and one daughter. 
Mrs. Attig had been previously married and had one son by that union, 
Samuel Mcienicon. The children born of the second marriage were: 
Valentine G., now deceased; Levi, the subject of this review; William, 
deceased; Peter; Lydia, who is also deceased; and Henry H. 

Levi Attig spent his early childhood days in Perry county, Pennsyl- 
vania, and from the age of fifteen years was dependent upon his own 
resources for a living. He was first employed as a farm laborer and 
about 1 85 1 secured a position as a boatman on the Pennsylvania canal, 
following that pursuit for two years. He afterward worked at rail- 
roading for about twenty-two years, but at the time of the Civil war he 
put aside all business and personal considerations and offered his services 
to the government, enlisting in August, 1862. He became one of the 
boys in blue of Company I, One Hundred and Thirty-third Pennsyl- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 327 

vania Infantry, and was at the front for nine months, after which he was 
mustered out at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He took part in the battles 
of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and was ever found at his post of 
duty as a loyal defender of the old flag. After his discharge he again fol- 
lowed railroading until March, 1875. 

In the meantime Mr. Attig was married, his wedding being cele- 
brated on the 23d of December, 1852, in Perry county, Pennsylvania, 
when Miss Barbara Kunkle became his wife. The lady was born in 
Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of seven 
children, four sons and three daughters: George, William D., Mary C, 
Llsmore, Harry S.. Laura A., the wife of Charles Leathers; and Cora, 
the wife of George Sides. Of the above named, George and Mary C. 
are now deceased. All of these children were born in Perry county, 
Pennsylvania, and with their parents came to Iowa. 

On emigrating westward Mr. Attig took up his abode near Talley- 
rand, Keokuk county, where he remained for about two years and then 
removed to Washington township, where he purchased a farm of eighty 
acres of improved land, which he still owns. This is under a good 
state of cultivation and annually returns to Mr. Attig a good income. He 
has followed farming since he came to Iowa until a recent date and 
now is practically living retired from further labor. In 1898 he was 
called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on the 10th of Jan- 
uary, of that year, at her home in Washington township when sixty-seven 
years of age. On the 12th of September, 1899, Mr. Attig was again 
married, his second union being with Elizabeth M. Earnest, a native of 
Perry county. Pennsylvania, and a daughter of John H. Earnest, a 
resident of that county. She was the widow of Theophilus Miller and by 
her first marriage had three children, all of whom are yet living, 



328 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

namely: Emery E. ; Josephine L., the wife of William Fickes; and 
Edward A. 

Mr. Attig belongs to Chicago Lodge No. 385, Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows of Delta, and is a stanch advocate of the Republican party, 
having supported its men and measures from the time it was formed. 
He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Springfield and is 
ever loyal to its interests, contributing liberally to its support and doing' 
all in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. He has 
now passed the Psalmist's span of three-score years and ten and in the 
evening of life he receives the respect and veneration of his fellow-men 
because his has been an honorable and upright career. 

SAMUEL E. H EATON. 

Prominent among the business men of Webster is numbered 
Samuel E. Heaton, an enterprising hardware dealer. No one in the 
locality is better known, for here his entire life has been spent, and all of 
his interests from boyhood have been closely associated with those of 
the locality. In business he has met with good success, and by the 
energy and zeal which he has manifested he has won the confidence and 
esteem of the public. 

A native of this county, Mr. Heaton was born in English River 
township, July 27, 1862, and is a son of Lemuel H. Heaton, whose 
birth occurred in Tiffin, Ohio, in 1830. At the age of seven years the 
latter accompanied his mother on her removal to Greene county, 1 'enn- 
sylvania, his father having died when he was quite young, and there 
he was reared and educated, making it his home until coming to Iowa 
in 1859. He took up his residence in English River township, Keokuk 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 329 

county, where he first purchased a tract of eighty acres and later bought 
one hundred and twenty acres which he still owns. To the improvement 
and cultivation of this land he devotes his energies, being successfully 
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He married Miss Charlotte 
Bell, a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania, wdiere her early life was 
passed and where her education was obtained. She is the daughter 
of Canada Bell, a farmer of that county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Heaton 
were born four children, three sons and one daughter, as follows: 
John, William, Samuel E. and Laura. 

Samuel E. Heaton lived at home with his parents in English River 
township until twenty years of age and is indebted to the schools of the 
neighborhood for the educational advantages he enjoyed. Later he 
engaged in carpentering for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, 
remaining in the employ of that corporation for five years, and then 
bought a hardware stock in Webster, Iowa, where he has since carried 
on business along that line with marked success, having by fair and 
honorable dealing built up a good trade. Since casting his first pres- 
idential vote he has supported the men and measures of the Republican 
party and takes an active interest in political affairs, as every true 
American citizen should. He is one of the wide-awake business men 
of the town of Webster and is highly esteemed. On the 29th day of 
April, 1894, Mr. Heaton married Lizzie Hurst, daughter of A. S. Hurst, 
of whom mention appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Heaton was 
born and reared in Keokuk county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Heaton were 
born two children : Fern and Roy. 



330 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

WILLIAM H. YOUNG. 

The above named gentleman lias been prominently identified with the 
growth of the enterprising town of Hedrick since its inception. He 
is responsible for much of its material growth and prosperity. He is 
at the present time president of the First National Bank and is also 
president of the Hedrick State Savings Bank, both of Hedrick. His 
nativity dates in the Hoosier state, where he was born in Clark county, 
April ii, 1842. He is the son of James B. Young, also a native of 
Clark county, Indiana, who brought his family to Keokuk county, Iowa, 
in 1854, locating at Twin Groves, in Steady Run township, where 
he continued to reside until his death at the age of seventy-one years. 
He, in his earlier years, was a stanch Whig and later became a prom- 
inent supporter of the Republican party. He always took an active 
interest in matters pertaining to the advancement of his immediate 
community and served on the school board of his district for many 
years. He was a blacksmith and wagonmaker in his early manhood, 
but after coming to Iowa followed agricultural pursuits in connection 
therewith. The grandfather of our subject was John A. Young, a native 
of the Keystone state. He became an early settler of Clark county, 
Indiana, where he lived until his death. On the maternal side of the 
family our subject's mother was Evaline Nugent, she being a native of 
Clark county, Indiana, where she was reared and married. She lived 
10 the extreme old age of eighty-five years. Her father before hei had 
been born in the Blue-grass state and was of Scotch-Irish descent. 
He also was one of the very earliest settlers of Clark county, Indiana, 
and was a weaver by trade and also farmed. 

Mr. Young is a member of a family of ten children, three daugh- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 331 

ters and seven sons, all of whom grew to maturity and married. He 
is the second child. He came to Keokuk count}- in 1854 with the 
family, he at that time being twelve years of age. His early education 
was acquired in the elementary schools of the district. He remained 
at home engaged in the labors of the farm until the rumblings which 
had been heard all during the fifties burst in the storm of the Civil 
war in the sixties. He watched the progress of events with a great 
deal of interest, and when the call was made for troops his inherent 
patriotism was signally exemplified in his enlistment in September, [861, 
in Company D, of the Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, as a private 
soldier. He went immediately to the front and arrived in time to take 
part in that sanguinary conflict which the northern army denominated 
Shiloh. This was followed by Corinth and by the operations about 
Vicksburg. Upon the fall of Vicksburg his company became part of the 
troops which were sent to take part in the Atlanta campaign. During 
this campaign, on the 226. of July, 1864, he. together with a number of 
his comrades, was taken prisoner, and they were sent to the famous 
prison of Andersonville. He remained in this prison until October 
of the same year, when he was taken to Florence, South Carolina, 
where he remained until February 24, 1865, when he was removed to 
Richmond, Virginia, and there paroled. After a short furlough at home 
he returned to his regiment and was present at the grand review of the 
troops in Washington, D. C. He received his discharge in August of 
1865, at Louisville, Kentucky, where his regiment was mustered out, 
having been in the service four years lacking one month. 

Upon his return home he took up the life of an agriculturist, in 
which pursuit he engaged for several years. He later engaged in 
business in Martinsburg, and in 1877 sold out and bought the farm 



332 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

which he now owns, and on which he lived until 1880. In that year 
he was elected county treasurer and moved to the county seat, Sigour- 
ney. After serving one term, he, in company with Hon. J. T. Brooks, 
bought in 1882 what was known as the Waugh farm, on which they 
laid out the present town of Hedrick. In 1883 he and Mr. Brooks estab- 
lished the Bank of Hedrick, a private institution, which was merged 
in 1899 into the Hedrick State Savings Bank. In 1900 Mr. Young be- 
came interested with others in the organization of the First National 
Bank of Hedrick, with Mr. Young as president. He is also interested 
in company with Hon. John Morrison and Mr. Brooks in a large 
flouring mill at Hedrick. He has served one term as member of the 
county board of supervisors of the county, and has always taken a very 
prominent interest in the political life of the county as a Republican. 

Mr. Young was married in October of 1869 to Elizabeth M. Hursey, 
a daughter of 'William and Margaret (Honald) Hursey, a family 
who are pioneers in Keokuk county. Mrs. Young was born in Tus- 
carawas county, Ohio, and is the mother of a family of three children. 
One of them died in infancy. Hattie, the eldest daughter, is the wife 
of Rev. L. C. Clark, Methodist minister. Waldo \Y, the son, is a 
student at Cornell College, of Mount Vernon. Mr. Young is a genial 
and social gentleman, and is a prominent and worthy member of Gar- 
field Lodge No. 485, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, lie is 
also a member of the J. M. Hedrick Post, No. 424, of the Grand 
Army of the Republic. He is a public spirited and progressive citizen, 
a man of sterling worth and high moral character, and he and his good 
wife are esteemed by a very large circle of friends and acquaintances. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 333 

SAMUEL GILLFOY. 

Samue! Gillfoy, a retired mine operator, living in What Cheer, 
Lowa, was horn in Baltimore, Maryland, on the 4th of January, 1828, 
and bears in his veins some of the best blood of our early colonists. 
His paierna! grandfather, Samuel Gillfoy, served with distinction as an 
officer in the Revolutionary war under General Washington. He was a 
native of Virginia and was of Scotch-Irish descent. Our subject's 
father, who also bore the name of Samuel Gillfoy, was born and reared 
in Maryland, removed to Illinois in 1840, locating near the city of 
Peoria in Peoria county, but later settled in Havana, Mason county, 
that state, where his death occurred in 1857. By occupation he was an 
engineer. He held membership in the Methodist Protestant church and 
took quite ai: active part in its work. Politically he was a Douglas 
Democrat and was honored with various city offices, being quite active 
and prominent in municipal affairs. He was twice married, his first 
wife being Mary Clements, who was also a native of Maryland and 
died when about twenty-seven years of age. She was of Irish lineage. 
The only child burn of this union was our subject. For his second wife 
the father married Mary A. Carver, by whom he had two daughters. 

When the subject of this sketch was but three years old his father 
removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and ten years later the family took up 
their residence in Illinois, where our subject grew to manhood, re- 
maining with his father until he had attained the age of twenty. He 
then started out in life for himself, being first engaged in the sawmill 
business near Peoria for about three years. On the expiration of that 
period he was appointed general manager of the Kingston coal mine, 
which at that time was the largest in Illinois, and he filled the position 



334 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of superintendent for ten years. He next engaged in the coal mining 
business on his own account at Mapleton. continuing there until his 
removal to Keokuk county. Iowa, in 1879, at the solicitation of the 
Puriington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad Company. Locating 
at What Cheer he opened a mine called Shaft A, and later became 
general manager of all the principal mines of the place, operating 
them until the supply of coal was exhausted, which took about nine 
years. In the meantime Mr. Gillfoy had been appointed general agent 
tor the lot association, which owned a large part of the present site of 
What Cheer, and he held that position until most of the lots were 
disposed of. He then opened another coal mine as general manager 
for C. D. Ives, but resigned at the end of nine months and retired from 
active business to enjoy a veil earned rest. 

On the 3d of October, 1,350, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Gill- 
foy and Miss Margaret J. ThcUp, who was born in Pekin, Illinois, where 
hei childhood was passed; diey . ave become the parents of twelve chil- 
dren, namely: Edward C, Hiran .Mary A., Rosa M.. George, Laura, 
Emma, and Margaret, who are still living, while Samuel, James, Prank 
and Samuel, second, are now deceased. The Democratic party has 
always found in Mr. Gillfoy a stalwart supporter of its principles, and 
while lesiding in Illinois he held a number of local offices. He has 
also served as a member of the school board in What Cheer for twelve 
years, and has ever given his support to those enterprises calculated to 
promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of his community. 
For half a century he has been connected with the Masonic fraternity, 
having attained to the twentieth degree, and he has filled all the chairs 
in the Blue lodge, of which he is a prominent and active member. He 
eminently deserves classification among the purely self-made men of the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county, who have distinguished themselves for their ability to master 

the opposing forces of life and to wrest from fate a fair measure of 
success and an honorable name. 

HENRY CRANDALL ROSECRANS. 

Among the prominent and representative citizens of Keokuk county 
is numbered Henry C. Rosecrans, who is now engaged in merchandising 
at What Cheer. He was born in Delaware county, Ohio, on Christmas 
day. 1824, and is descended from an old and honored Pennsylvania 
family of Holland origin, his ancestors having come to this country 
from Amsterdam in colonial days. His paternal grandfather was 
Daniel Rosecrans, a native of the Keystone state. His father, Crandall 
Rosecrans, was born in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, August 16. 1794. 
and when a boy of nine years removed from that state to Delaware 
county, Ohio, with his parents. It was there that he w'as reared and 
educated and after reaching manhood he engaged in farming and in 
contracting on the Ohio canal. He was one of the most prominent 
and influential citizens of his community and was appointed captain 
of the Ohio militia by the governor of the state. He also served as 
justice of the peace and associate judge of the district court of Licking 
county, Ohio; he proved a most popular official, his decisions being fair 
and impartial. He died at Homer, that state, at the age of fifty-two 
\ears, honored and respected by all who knew him. His wife, who bore 
the maiden name of Jamima Hopkins, was also born in Pennsylvania. 
in 1797, and died in 1S68. She was a second cousin of the Hopkins who 
signed the Declaration of Independence, and her ancestors were probably 
of English descent. Unto Mr. and Airs. Rosecrans were born five sons, 



336 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

one of whom died in infancy. The others were General William S. 
Rosecrans, whose fame as an officer in the Civil war is excelled by but 
few of those who were in command of our Northern army during the 
dark davs of the Rebellion; Charles Wesley; Henry Crandall ; and Syl- 
vester H. 

Of this family the subject of this review is now the only one 
living. He grew to manhood in Licking county, Ohio, whither his par- 
ents removed when he was about four years old, his early life being 
mainly passed in the town of Homer. His education was somewhat 
limited, as he was only able to attend school for about three months 
during the vear for five years, and as Homer, at that time, had only 
a population of one hundred the schools were not of the best. He 
remaind with his father, assisting him in his business until after the 
Mexican war broke out. In 1846, on the second call of the government 
for volunteers, Mr. Rosecrans enlisted as a private in Captain John 
R. Duncan's company. The governor had offered to give the company 
that presented itself first for duty the privilege of being mounted on 
their own horses, and Mr. Rosecrans' company was the one to receive 
this honor. He remained in the service for fifteen months or until the 
the close of the war, and after receiving an honorable discharge he re- 
turned to Licking county, Ohio, where he engaged in farming and 
school teaching for a year. 

In 1849 Mr. Rosecrans married Miss Elizabeth Dickey, who was 
born in Licking county, October 24, 1823, the only child of Joseph and 
Catherine (Sillins) Dickey, who were from Virginia and were pioneers 
of Licking county. By occupation her father was also a farmer and 
teacher. After receiving a good common school education she, too, 
taught school for about six years in her native county. She is still 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 337 

living and has been to her husband a faithful companion and helpmate 
Fi >r i iver fifty-three years. They are the parents of four children wfo i ire 
still living, namely: Menga Oveda, wife of Richard Burke of Oska- 
i ios . [i wa; Adrain D., a telegraph operator for the Chicago & North- 
western Railroad at What Cheer; William J., at home; and Henry S., 
a resident of Oskaloosa. 

Ten days alter his marriage Mr. Rosecrans came to [owa en horse- 
back, ! eaving his bride in Ohio, and he located a land '.'.arrant in Sigour- 
ue} township, Keokuk county, where he remained during the winter. 
The following spring he crossed the plains with ox teams and after a 
long and tedious journey arrived on the Pacific slope in September. lie 
spent about a year in California, and in September. 1S51, returned ea I 
by way of Panama and New York, and spent the following winter at his 
old home in Ohio. In the spring of 1852, in company with his wife, 
he again came to Iowa, traveling this time by team and wagon, and they 
look up their residence in Washington county, where Mr. Rosecrans 
engaged in farming until 1882. The following year he was engaged 
in the lumber business and then resumed farming, which he continued 
to carry on until 1889, when he sold his place in Washington county 
and bought a mill in Sigourney, which he conducted for about eight 
years. After disposing of his mill property Mr. Rosecrans embarked in 
merchandising at What Cheer, where he still carries on business with 
good success, having by fair and honorable dealing built up a good 
trade. 

Politically Mr. Rosecrans has been a life-long Democrat, never 
wavering in his allegiance to that party, and he has been honored with a 
number of local offices. He is a member of tiie Catholic church, having 
been converted to that belief, and is a brother of Rev. S. H. Rosecrans, 



338 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

a prominent clergyman of that denomination, who was bishop of the 
diocese of Columbus, Ohio. His life has been manly, his actions sincere 
and his example is well worthy of emulation. 



O. D. LAWRENCE, M. D. 

Dr. O. D. Lawrence is engaged in the practice of medicine and 
surgery at What Cheer, Iowa, and has that love for and devotion to 
his profession which have brought to him success and won for him a 
place cfmong the ablest representatives of the medical fraternity in Keo- 
kuk county. The Doctor was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, 
July 5, 1844, an( l on tne paternal side is probably of English descent", 
though the family have resided in this country for several generations. 
His grandfather, James Lawrence, was a native of Vermont and died 
in Wisconson at the advanced age of ninety years. 

James R. Lawrence, the Doctor's father, was born in Addison 
county, Vermont, December 13, 1S07, and throughout life followed the 
occupation of a farmer. On leaving his native state he removed to New 
York and in 1845 to °k U P h' s residence in Morrow county, Ohio, 
where he made his home until coming to Keokuk county, Iow : a, in 1854. 
Settling upon a tract of land in Washington township, which he 
entered from the government, he there improved a farm, continuing its 
cultivation until his death, which occurred on the 20th of December, 1879- 
Politically he was at first a supporter of the Whig party and later the 
Republican and he always took a commendable interest in public 
affairs. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Claramon Spaulding, 
was also a native of the Green Mountain state, born in Rutland 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 339 

county, Vermont, June 22, 1813, and died June 22, 1884, at Uinta, 
Utah. Her father, was Stephen Greeley Spaulding, his mother having 
belonged to the noted Greeley family. On the paternal side his 
family was of German origin, and his ancestors settled in Boston, Massa- 
chusetts, in 1626. He was born in that city on the 28th of October, 
1766, and died in Essex county, New York, October 19. 1853. Dur- 
ing the Revolutionary war he entered the Colonial army at the age 
of twelve years as a cook and at fifteen shouldered a musket, serving 
as a private soldier during the last three years of the struggle f< »r in- 
dependence and participating in the battle of Yorktown. Dr. Lawrence 
is the youngest son and third child in a family of five children, the 
others being as follows: Coral S., who died in Kansas in 1901 ; Miles, 
now a resident of Glenns Ferry, Idaho; Maliqda, wife of John J. Smith 
of Bonner Springs, Kansas; and Joanna, who died October 21, 1868. 

The Doctor was only a year old on the removal of the family to 
Morrow county, Ohio, and the fall after he had attained the age of ten 
years they came to Keokuk count}', Iowa. He began his education in the 
former county and later attended the district schools of this county, 
though his Iiterarj education was principally acquired by reading and 
study at home. Until twenty years of age he gave his father the benefit 
of his labors in the operation of the home farm and the following two 
years worked on the farm of W. W. Thomas. On leaving the employ 
of that gentleman he made a trip to Indiana by team. 

Returning to this county Dr. Lawrence was married on Christmas 
dav, 1867, to Miss Elizabeth Thomas, a daughter of W. W. Thomas, 
with whom he continued to engage in farming until 1873, when he took 
up the study of medicine. On the 3d of September, that year,, he 
went to Chicago and entered the Bennett Eclectic Medical College, 



340 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

where he was graduated in 1874 with the degree of M. D., and has 
since successfully engaged in the practice of his chosen profession at 
What Cheer. 

By his first marriage Dr. Lawrence had six children, namely: 
Minnie M. is now the wife of William Palmer, a farmer of Tyler. Minne- 
sota, and has three children, Mildred, Ethel and the baby. Hode B., who 
is now clerking in What Cheer, married Amy Irwin of Keswick and has 
one son, Alton. Bert is at home with his parents. Charlie, a railroad man 
living in Madison, South Dakota, married Isabel Woolstoncroff and 
they have two daughters, Eunice and a baby. Daisy is the wife of Henry 
Thompson and has one son, Rufus. Frank married Maud Brainard and 
is now engaged in farming in Warren township, this county. The 
mother of these children died in 1892 and the Doctor was again mar- 
ried on the 8th of October, 1895, his second union being with Margaret 
Simpson. Fraternally he is a prominent Mason, belonging to Universe 
Lodge, Xo. 242, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Excelsior 
Chapter, Xo. iof., Royal Arch Mason, and politically he is identified with 
the Democratic party. A pleasant, genial gentleman, the Doctor wins 
friends wherever he goes, and is very popular with all classes of people. 

IRVIN OGDEN. 

What Cheer is the somewhat odd name of a pretty little town 
situated in Keokuk county, Iowa. It is on the branch of the Burling- 
ton, Cedar Rapids & Xorthern Railroad, twenty miles northeast of 
Oskaloosa, and is the center of an important mining industry, which 
adds considerable to the business prosperity of the town and surrounding 
country. Though not a place of great size What Cheer will compare 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. ,341 

favorably with places of larger population, as in addition to coal 
mining it lias the benefit of vicinity t < ► one of the finest agricultural sec- 
tions of the state, noted for its fertile land and abundant produce. Not 
the least interesting feature of this prairie town and certainly an im- 
portant aid to its enterprises is a newspaper called the Patriot, and the 
fact that it is published twice a week shows not only that it is appre- 
ciated but that it has an up-to-date editor and proprietor in charge. It 
is for the purpose of telling the readers of this volume something 
about this gentleman that this brief biography has been prepared, and its 
persual will disclose the leading events in his social and business life. 

It was in the summer of 1867 that F. J. and M. C. Ogden, hus- 
band and wife, decided to leave their old home at Blooming Grove in 
Franklin county, Indiana, and seek better opportunities in the rapidly 
growing commonwealth of Iowa. They made the intervening distance 
by team, as the Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific was then the only railroad 
crossing Iowa, and it is needless to say that the journey was long and 
tedious. When they reached Keokuk county this little family of Hoosiers 
settled in Prairie township, which was. at that time a sparsely settled 
community thirty miles from any railroad and giving little promise 
of the bloming prosperity that has since come upon it as part of the 
greatest agricultural state in the Union. The parents arrived in July, 
1867, and it was in September of the following fall that Irvin Ogden, 
their youngest son. was born. Though an occurrence of this kind is not 
usually regarded as sensational, it seems that Master Ogden's advent 
into the world created somewhat of a stir in Prairie township, owing 
to the fact that the population was scattered and babies were somewhat 
of a rarity at that time. However this may be, it is duly recorded that 
the future editor made his entry without misadventure and announced his 



342 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

appearance with the lusty-lunged vociferation characteristic of infancy. 
It was noticed also a little afterward not only by the fond parents but 
by the admiring neighbors that the latest heir to the name of Ogden 
was an unusually bright boy and gave promise of an unusually successful 
career in whatever he undertook. Schools were rather scarce in the 
neighborhood in those days, and such as they were hardly ranked above 
the average, so Master Ogden was not given the early educational 
advantages which later in life he would liked to have been his 
youthful portion. But he learned farm work and became acquainted 
with practical affairs, to say nothing of the health of mind and body 
which conies only from contact with mother earth. This routine con- 
tinued until he was seventeen years of age, from which time on for 
four years he divided his labors between the bituminous coal mines, 
then recently discovered, and his duties on the home farm. In the 
fall of r888. about the time he reached that proud period called the 
majority and longingly looked forward to by all boys, he celebrated 
the event by taking a trip to Nebraska, but his stay there was cut short 
in the following summer by a summons to return on account of the 
death of his father. Shortly after coming back he purchased an interest 
in the North Star mine on the old homestead, but next year sold this and 
bought his older brother's share of the farm. For six years thereafter, 
while living with his brother on the farm, he was busily employed in the 
coal mines, and in this capacity proved himself to be a very valuable 
man to his employers. The truth is. and it was then fully manifested, that 
Irvin Ogden is a very ingenious-minded man with a natural talent 
for mechanics and machinery and a thorough understanding of the 
principles underlying most labor-saving devices. His mind is not only 
original but inventive, and he knows how to make machinery as well as 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 343 

run it. So, while working "down in the coal mines underneath the 
ground" or managing operations on the surface, there was seldom a 
difficulty which he could not meet or a problem which he could not 
solve. He acted as engineer, weigliman, or in any other capacity called for 
around coal mines, and was always ready with some device to make 
things go along more smoothly and profitably. 

But Mr. Ogden had an ambition entirely aside from coal mines 
or farm work, and this was to own, edit and publish a newspaper, 
through which he could talk directly to the people and advocate any 
theory or cause in which he was interested. This aspiration was at 
length put in the way of realization by the sale of his royalties to the 
North Star Mining Company when that corporation with added capital 
opened up on a large scale. With the money thus received he purchased 
a half interest in the What Cheer Patriot, and with A. H. Holland as a 
partner commenced the publication of that bright periodical in 1895. 1 ne 
lime which has elapsed since the maturing of his newspaper schemes 
has amply demonstrated that Mr. Ogden has a fitness for the business, 
as he showed aptitude in all its various branches from the start. His 
mechanical ingenuity enabled him to greatly improve the plant In- 
putting in power, getting a new dress and rearranging and refurnishing 
everything about the office. In March, 1901, he bought the interest of 
his partner, and since then has been sole editor and proprietor. About 
the same time he received the appointment as postmaster, and with 
the assistance of his wife and deputy, George M. Paull, conducts both 
his office and newspaper with the efficiency and vigor that characterize 
all his operations. The Patriot was established in 1880, and enjoys 
the confidence of a large circle of readers, which extends beyond the 
confines of the county of publication. It is especially popular with 



344 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. HISTORY. 

farmers, among whom the editor grew up and with whose needs 
and aspirations he is thoroughly familiar. 

August ii, 1895, the same year that witnessed the culmination of his 
newspaper venture, Mr. Ogden was married to Miss Eva O. Humes, 
descendant of an old Ohio familv, and in the following November went 
to housekeeping in the handsome residence constructed especially for 
their home. As he is still a young man Mr. Ogden's admirers confidently 
predict for him a prosperous future. He is popular with the younger 
element now at the front in Iowa Republican politics, and as he has 
adaptability and address as well as talent there seems no reason why 
he should not aspire to a conspicuous place in public life. His social 
standing is manifested by his popularity in that peculiarly young men's 
fraternity, the Knights of Pythias, and he is a regular attendant at 
the grand lodge of this numerous and widely diversified order. Altogether 
Mr. Ogden is a pleasant young man to know, and he is also. one from 
whom it is possible to learn much that is useful and much that is 
interesting. 

W. W. XEWSOME, M. D. 

Dr. W. W. Newsome is a skilled physician and surgeon of South 
English, Iowa, whose knowledge of "the science of medicine is Tjroad 
and comprehensive, and whose ability in applying its principles to the 
needs of suffering humanity has gained him an enviable prestige in pro- 
fessional circles. The Doctor was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Eng- 
land, May 12, 1843, his parents being William and Sarah (DeGarrs) 
Newsome, the former a native of Leeds, England, the latter of Bradford. 
The father was a contractor by occupation, brought his family to 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. .U5 

America about 1848 and located at Athens, Ohio, but in 1852 he came 
;<> Iowa, and after spending sometime in Burlington took up his residence 
in Crawfordsville, Washington county, where he continued to make 
his home throughout the remainder of his life, dying there at the age 
of fifty-one years. His wife, who long survived him, was nearly 
ninety-four years of age at the time of her death. She was a sister 
of Henry DeGarrs, a noted man of England, and she became a very 
eminent woman. She was highly educated and well versed in the 
Bible, being an earnest, consistent Christian, who was loved and respected 
by all who knew her. She was the mother of seven children, namely; 
Mary Ann, who died in infancy; Alfred, who was also a physician and is 
now deceased; W. V.'., of this review; Walter, who is engaged in the 
practice of medicine; Sally, the wife of J. H. Taylor of Chicago; Mary 
X.. the wife of J. D. Stull of Iowa City; and William Henry, who died 
at the age of seventeen years. 

Dr. VV. W. Newsome was only five years old when he came with 
the family to the new world in 1848. His literary education was 
completed in the academy or high school at Crawfordsville, Iowa, and 
he began the preparation for his chosen profession in the medical 
department of the State University of Iowa, then located at Keokuk, 
where he was graduated in June, 1863. He began practice as assistant 
surgeon in the Estis hospital under Dr. Corns of Tama City, and by 
the practical knowledge which he gained there he was well fitted for 
private practice on locating in South English in the fall of 1863. 
His skill and ability in his profession were soon widely recognized, 
winning for him a large and lucrative practice which he still enjoys. 
To-day he is the second oldest physician in the county and ranks 
among the first in professional ability. 



34b GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

On the 3rd of May, 1902, Dr. New some was united in marriage 
to Mrs. Helen Ludington, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Rev. 
Charles Bachelor. She first married Harry Ludington, a son of Gov- 
enor Ludington of Wisconsin, who was a very wealthy man. She 
is a noted singer, possessing a highly cultivated contralto voice of 
remarkable sweetness, having pursued her musical education abroad 
at a cost of twenty thousand dollars. She has sung in London, England, 
Paris, Mexico and South America, as well as all over this country, and 
has won the highest praise from the best of critics wherever she has 
appeared. 

Fraternally the Doctor is a prominent member of Naphtali Lodge, 
No. 188. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of South English, of 
which he was worshipful master for seven years, and he is also an 
Odd Fellow. Since attaining his majority he has been unwavering in 
his support of the Republican party and its principles, and has taken a 
commendable interest in public affairs. In connection with his pro- 
fession he holds membership in the County Medical Society, and is 
regarded as one of the leading physicians of this section of the state. 
A pleasant, genial gentleman, he is quite popular both in social and 
professional circles. 

WILLIAM HENRY SMITH. 
AW H. Smith, of South English, Iowa, is now living a retired life 
in the enjoyment of a rest which he has truly earned and richly de- 
serves by reason of his industrious efforts of former years. Accom- 
plishment and progress ever imply labor, energy and diligence, and it 
was those labors that enabled our subject to rise from the ranks of the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 347 

many and stand among the successful few. He is now one of the highly 
respected citizens of South English, and his long residence in Keokuk 
county and the active part he has taken in its development well entitle 
him to representation in its history. 

Mr. Smith was born on the ioth of March, 1840, in Preston county, 
West Virginia, of which state his parents. Christian and Charlotte 
(Cress) Smith, were also natives. There the family continued to 
make their home until 1856, when they came to Iowa and took up 
their residence in Washington county. At the end of three years, how- 
ever, they removed to Keokuk county and settled in Liberty township, 
where the father died at the age of seventy-nine years. The mother 
is still living and is now eighty-one years of age. In their family 
were ten children, five sons and five daughters, of whom our subject 
was the second son and second child. 

The first sixteen years of his life W. H. Smith spent in the 
county of his nativity and then accompanied his parents on the;: re- 
moval to Washington county, Iowa, and later to Keokuk county. When 
the country became involved in civil war he joined the boys in blue, 
enlisting August 9, 1862,, in Company II, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer 
Infantry, as a private, for three years' service. With his command 
he participated in the engagements at Helena and Little Rock, Arkan- 
sas, and others, and being slightly wounded by a spent ball at Helena, 
he was confined to the hospital for four days. He was in active 
service during his entire term with exception of two months and 
was a good soldier, always found at his post of duty, gallantly defend- 
ing the old flag and the cause it represented. At the close of the war 
he received an honorable discharge at Davenport. Iowa, on the 8th 01 
August, 1865, and he returned to his home in Keokuk county to resume 



348 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the more quiet pursuits of farm life, carrying on operations in Liberty 
township. 

On the ist of June, 1867, Mr. Smith married Miss Jennette Lutton, 
a native of Pennsylvania, who was quite young when she came to Iowa. 
She was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, July 14, 1842, and is a 
daughter of John and Mary (Springer) Lutton, both natives of 
Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandparents were 
born in Ireland, but maternally Mrs. Smith is of German descent. Her 
parents were married in Pennsylvania, whence they removed to Iowa 
in 1854 and settled in Keokuk county, where they both died. They 
had ten children, all of whom lived to be grown, but only three are now- 
living. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith has been born one son, Earl, now an 
attorney of Mason City, Iowa. After following farming in Liberty 
township for many years, Mr. Smith removed to South English in 
1889 and was engaged in the lumber business at that place until 1902, 
when he sold out and has since lived retired, enjoying the fruits of former 
toil. He is still the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and ninety-six 
and a half acres of land in Liberty township, which he rents, and is to-day 
one of the well-to-do, as well as one of the most highly esteemed 
citizens of his community. He is an honored member of the Grand 
Army of the Republic, and also belongs to Naphtali Lodge, No. 188, 
Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In his political views he is a 
stanch Republican, and religiously is an earnest and consistent member 
1 if the Christian church, of which Mrs. Smith also is a member. 

LEVI S. HINSHAW. 

This volume will be found to make mention of a large number of the 
pioneers of the county who came here in an early day and braved the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 34Q 

hardships and endured the trials that were necessary in order to pave 
the way for the future marvelous development of the county. The\ 
are a race of people which are rapidly passing' away, but their places are 
being taken by their sons, who in many cases have endured many of these 
same hardships, and have been reared to lives of hardest toil, and have 
learned the lessons of thrift and economy in the school of experience. 
The gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph is a son of one of the 
earliest settlers of the county, and has himself been connected with the 
life of the countv for a period of fifty-six years. Mr. Hinshaw was 
born in Hendricks county. Indiana, on the 28th of April, 1842, being 
the son of Ira and Julia A. ( Faulkner) Hinshaw. 

The Hinshaws removed from North Carolina to Jefferson county, 
Tennessee, the first member of the family of whom we have informa- 
tion as to the name being the grandfather of our subject, Ezra Hin- 
shaw. The family was originally from England, and were of that 
noble band of Quakers who settled in large numbers in this country, 
owing to their repugnance to monarchical institutions. Ira Hinshaw, 
the father of our honored subject, was reared to hard labor on a Tennes- 
see farm and at the age of sixteen years removed with the family to 
Indiana. Here he attained his majority and married and engaged in 
farming for a period, when in 1846 he joined the tide of immigration 
that had set in from the east and came to Iowa. He located in Richland 
township about one mile southeast of where the village was laid out, 
and bought eighty acres of virgin prairie land from Mr. W. A. Wood- 
ward. Here he remained a period of two years, and then purchased 
another eighty acres known as the Funston farm and owned now by 
Alson Jones. Mr. Hinshaw was an excellent farmer, but finallv sold 
out his farming interests and engaged in the merchantile business in 



350 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the village of Richland in company with a gentleman named Samuel 
Brown. Mr. Hinshaw is remembered as being a man of shrewd business 
tact and was a great trader m real estate and other property during 
his day. He lived to the advanced age of eighty years and was a man 
during his lifetime whose strong personality made him many friends. 
He was prominently identified with the public life in the different 
communities in which he lived. He was an earnest sympathizer with 
the Whig party, and served a period as postmaster under President 
Taylor's administration. He was a devout member of the Friends 
church, and is remembered as a gentleman who was worthy in every 
respect of the esteem of his associates. The mother of our subject was 
a native of Greene county, Ohio, and was not quite grown to womanhood 
when she removed from that state with her parents to Indiana, where 
she married Mr. Hinshaw. She is still living and is a comparatively hale 
and hearty woman at seventy-eight years of age. She was the daugh- 
ter of Jesse Faulkner, who in his turn was a native of Virginia. 
They were early settlers in Indiana, where the father was a prominent 
farmer and where he continued to live until his death. The familv are 
of mixed Scotch and English origin. 

Our worthy subject was the only child of this marriage, and was 
but four years old when his parents removed to Keokuk county. He 
passed his boyhood in hard labor on the farm, receiving rather a limited 
education in the Richland village schools. The first event of importance 
in his life time was the great Civil war, which found him a young 
man of ninteen vears of age, in good health and intensely interested in 
the conflict between the north and the south. He was one of the 
first to enlist in the service, becoming a musician in Company K of 
the Seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry in the spring of 1861. He was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 351 

the drummer for this company and went to the frontj where he was 
actively engaged in the service until the late fall, when his health 
failing him, he was given an honorable discharge on account of dis- 
ability. Returning from the service he became associated with bis 
father in a mill business, which they conducted until 1865. This 
marks the beginning of his activity in the agricultural line, he at that 
time purchasing what is known as the Frank Yastine farm, one and 1 
half miles northwest of the village of Richland. He continued engaged 
in active labor on the farm for a period of five years, when he sold out 
and rented a place for the following two years. Becoming dissatisfied 
with Keokuk county, Mr. Hinshaw then went west to Cass county, 
Iowa, and engaged in farming for the following twelve years. He 
however returned to his first love, and has since been connected with the 
advancement and progress of Keokuk county. For two years after 
his return, he continued his farming operations and then removed into 
the town of Richland, where he has since resided. 

Mr. Hinshaw celebrated his marriage with Miss Frances J. Hol- 
lingsworth upon the 30th of August. 1865. This lady was a native 
of Richland township, and was the daughter of John and Jane (Hol- 
liday) Hollingswortb, one of the worthy pioneer families of Keokuk 
county. This lady became the mother of two children, Charles E., and 
Jennie; the daughter is the wife of J. F. Witcher, a prominent stockman 
of the Black Hills country. The mother of these children died November 
23, 1897, having been a woman of must estimable character. As stated, 
she was the daughter of one of the old pioneers, her father having 
come to the county in a very early day and entered what has been 
known since that time as the Weslev Hollingswortb farm. He was 



352 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

a man of considerable prominence in his day, but his career was cut 
short at middle age by his untimely decease. 

Mr. Hinshaw and his family are held in the highest esteem in 
Richland, where he is prominently identified with the social and busi- 
ness life of the community. He is an honored member of the Grand 
Army of the Rqjublic, and is a worthy member of the Christian 
church. In political matters Mr. Hinshaw follows the teachings of his 
lamented father and is a worker in the ranks of the Republican partv. 
his first vote having been cast for the immortal Lincoln in i86.;. 
I Hiring his lifetime he has been honored at times with public office. 
While in Cass county he was for a period of eight years the president f 
of the school board of his community and acted for a period as justice 
of the peace. Since coming to Richland he has acted for a term 
of three years as justice of the peace and has been secretary of the 
board of education. Mr. Hinshaw is found at all times readv to engage 
in any enterprise that looks to the advancement <»f his community, 
and is a gentleman whose standing and family history are such as 
to merit this brief and imperfect notice in this volume dedicated to the 
representative citizens of Keokuk county. 

WILLIAM LAWSON. 

William Lawson, a highly respected agriculturist of Steady Run, 
now residing on the fine old homestead in section 30, has attained 
prosperity and influence largely through the conscientious performance 
of filial duties and by following closely in the footsteps of his father. 
During his youth he was a co-worker with his father, and upon the 
death of the latter fell heir to a part of the family estate. And here. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 353 

since a lad, he has spent his life in the development of its large re- 
sources. Born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, March 7, iSj-,, 
he is the son of Hugh and Nancy ( Murphy j Lawson, well-to-do farm- 
ing people. 

Hugh Lawson was one of those sturdy, hard-working Irishmen 
who have done so much for the development of the agricultural re- 
sources of this country. Born in Ireland in 17S6, when but six weeks old 
he was taken by his parents to this country, and soon afterward to a 
Pennsylvania farm, where they made their home for the rest of their 
lives. Here the son received the education and rearing of an ordinary 
American farm lad. Upon reaching manhood he did not shun the 
labor to which he had been trained, and with a steadfast purpose 
settled upon a farm of his own. During this period, while still residing 
in Pennsylvania, he married Nancy Murphy, who was of Scotch descent, 
but who was born and reared in Pennsylvania. Of this union there were 
ten children, six sons and four daughters: James; William, who is men- 
tioned below; David and Elizabeth, both now deceased; Thomas; Sarah; 
Joseph, now deceased ; Agnes ; Matilda, now deceased ; and John. The first 
eight were born in Pennsylvania, the two youngest in Indiana. Pos- 
sessed of that courage and determination which scorns fear of priva- 
tion and hardship, Mr. Lawson, in 1834, boldly left his comfortable 
Pennsylvania home and moved to a pioneer farm in the newly settled 
region of Indiana Here he spent twelve years in clearing up the 
place, making it during that time one of the most valuable pieces of 
property in the vicinity. His success encouraged him in the course 
of time to take a hand in the opening up of the farther west, and in 
1846 he moved to Iowa. He spent the winter in Westpoint, looking for 
a suitable location, and in the spring of 1847 took a one hundred and 



354 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

sixty acre farm in Keokuk county, which is now in the possession of his 
sons. He spent many years of hard work in clearing and improving the 
place, and as a result had in time one of the choicest farms in the vicinity. 
Being among the first settlers, he had the pick of the land in the county, 
a fact of which the place still bears evidence. A man of vigorous 
constitution, he lived to the advanced age of eighty-seven. He died 
on the farm in Keokuk county, where he had spent the best days of his 
life. Mr. Lawson was a zealous patriot all his life. When the war 
of 1812 broke out he enlisted and did some valiant service for his country- 
As a Democrat he took a lively interest in politics and was very influ- 
ential. A large capacity for work and an unwavering purpose in life 
obtained for him in time a very solid prosperity. 

William Lawson as a child saw a great deal of pioneer life. Very 
young when his parents left the Pennsylvania farm, he spent twelve 
years of his early life on the Indiana farm. Later he moved with his 
parents to Steady Run, Iowa, where he received a little schooling and a 
great deal of discipline in rough farm labor. The work was not, 
however, without its compensation, and he acquired in time a practical 
knowledge «if agriculture, which has been invaluable to him in later 
years. For a long time he assisted his father in the management of the 
large farm and after his father's death fell heir to the old homestead 
and ninety acres of land. The rest of the property was divided among 
the other children. On this place Mr. Lawson has continued the work 
that his father began and has proved himself by no means inferior to 
the latter as an agriculturist. His crops have been large and of the 
best quality, and have commanded for him a good price in the market. 
Wise in financial management he has been enabled to lay aside some- 




^^cx^v^eo^- yl^a-eJ-TL^ 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 357 

thing for a rainy day and has added to his estate by the purchase of 
eighty-seven and one-half acres near the flourishing city of Hedrick. 

In 1866 Mr. Lawson married Ellen McMillen, who was burn in 
Ohio, but in 1848, when four years old, moved with her parents, John 
and Frances (Middleton) McMillen, to Steady Run, Iowa. Both parents 
were natives of America, and among the old settlers of Keokuk county. 
Mr. McMillen secured a one hundred and sixty acre farm in the earlv 
days and afterward added to his property until at the time of his death 
he owned five hundred acres in the vicinity, most of which he had cleared 
and greatly improved. He died July 9, 1855, and his wife in 1899. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Lawson have been born four children : Jennie, who is 
now deceased; Hugh; Fannie; and John, all of whom were born and 
reared in the old homestead. As one of the old settlers and one of the 
most progressive agriculturists in his section Mr. Lawson is thoroughly 
well known in his vicinity. lie is a Democrat in politics and exerts an 
influence in public affairs. 

WARREN HIGGINS. 

Success is determined by one's ability to recognize opportunity and 
to pursue this with a resolute, unflagging energy. It results from 
continued labor, and the man who thus accomplishes his purpose usu- 
ally becomes an important factor in the business circles in the community 
with which he is connected. Through such means Mr. Higgins of 
Keswick has attained a leading place among the representative men 
of Keokuk county, and his well spent and honorable life commands tin- 
respect of all who know him. 

Mr. Higgins was born in Knox county, Ohio, on the T~th of Feb- 



358 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ruary, 1825, a son of Myrick and Hannah (Davis) Higgins, natives 
of Vermont and Virginia, respectively. His paternal grandfather was 
Josiah Higgins, who was born in America of Irish ancestry on the 
paternal side and of Welsh and German on the maternal side. During 
his boyhood Myrick Higgins accompanied his parents on their removal 
to Ohio, where he was reared, and he continued to make his home in 
Washington and Knox counties, that state, for many years, his atten- 
tion being devoted to farming. In 1853 he came to Iowa and spent 
his last days in Keokuk county, where he died at the ripe old age of 
eighty-seven years. During his residence in Ohio he held membership 
in the Baptist church, and in politics he supported first the Whig and 
later the Republican parties, taking quite an active part in local affairs 
and holding several township offices. His wife died in the seventy- 
eighth year of her age. Her people were also early settlers of Knox 
and Washington counties, Ohio, her father being Jacob Davis. The 
subject of this review is the second son and fourth child in a family of 
seven children, consisting of three sons and four daughters, all of 
whom reached man and womanhood. He has one sister still living — 
Airs. Elizabeth Otis, a resident of Olympia, Washington. 

Warren Higgins spent the first nine years of his life in the county 
of his nativity, and then removed with his parents to Marion county, 
Ohio, wdiere he grew to manhood, his education being obtained in a 
little log schoolhouse in that county, with its slab seats and a writ- 
ing desk, made by a board laid upon pins driven into the wall. On 
attaining his majority he began life for himself, working as a farm hand 
for three years. In 1850 Mr. Higgins was united in marriage to Mis.. 
Marcia Rubins, who was born in Richland county, Ohio, but was 
reared in Marion county, whither she removed with her parents when 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 359 

only four years old. By this union were born four children, three 
sons and one daughter, namely: Hale; Joseph R. ; Effie, the widow of 
Hallick Messenger; and Delano, who now has charge of the old home 
farm. 

After his marriage Mr. Higgins continued to reside in Marion 
county, Ohio, until 1852, when he sold his property there, and in the 
fall of that year came to Keokuk county, Iowa, locating on a farm in 
Adams township, where he purchased seven hundred ami twenty acres 
of land for three dollars per acre. This he divided with his brother- 
in-law. Henry C. Otis. To the cultivation and improvement of this 
farm he devoted his energies until his youngest son. Delano, took charge 
of the same and he removed to Keswick, where he has made his home 
since 1894, having erected there a beautiful residence. On the organ- 
ization of the Keswick Savings Bank he became one of its stockholders 
and directors and the following year was made president, in which 
capacity he served for five years, and has since filled the position of vice 
president. He is also a stockholder in the Sigourney State Bank and 
is still the owner of the old homestead farm, consisting of about seven 
hundred acres, which is under a high state of cultivation and well im- 
proved. 

Politically Mr. Higgins was a Whig in early life, but on the organ- 
ization of the Republican party he joined its ranks and has since been a 
stanch supporter of that great political party. He has held local offices. 
such as that of township trustee, and as a public spirited and progressive 
citizen has borne a very important part in the development and up- 
building of his adopted county. He spent more than one thousand 
dollars to assist in bringing the railroad through this county and has 
ever contributed to those enterprises which he believed would prove ol 



360 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

public benefit or would in any way advance tbe general welfare. As 
a business man he has met with marked success in most of his undertak- 
ings, and although he started in life for himself with no capital, he 
is to-day one of the most prosperous and successful citizens of his part 
of the county. Wherever known he is held in high regard and as an 
honored pioneer and highly respected citizen he is certainly deserving 
of honorable mention in the history of Keokuk county. 



FRANK D. HINTON. 

Frank D. Hinton, an energetic young farmer of Steady Run, has 

won success for himself through steady and persistent efforts in one 
line of work. Bred to farm work and coming of a family of agricultur- 
ists, he has imbibed a vast deal of practical common sense, which has 
a market value in dollars and cents in his special field of labor. John 
Hinton, his grandfather, was of Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he 
resided fur many years. Later he moved to Champaign county, Ohio, 
where he settled upon a farm. He followed agriculture for the most 
part throughout his life, meeting with excellent results. He married 
a woman of Irish descent, who was of great assistance to him in his 
undertakings. Among their children was a son named Davis. 

Davis Hinton, father of Frank D., has given his best energies to the 
development of the soil, and is now living in retirement in the city of 
Hedrick. Born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in September, 1839, he 
there grew to manhood, receiving the ordinary rearing of a farm boy 
of his day. Upon attaining his majority he moved with his parents 
to Champaign county, Ohio, where he soon afterward settled upon a 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 36] 

farm. Previous to this, while living in Pennsylvania, he married Sarah 
J. Jameson, who was born in Pennsylvania, September n, 1840, and 
there grew to womanhood; her parents later moved to Ohio. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Hinton were born ten children, four daughters and six sons, 
of which Frank was both the second child and second son. In 1869 Mr. 
Hinton moved his family to Davis county, Iowa, where he settled upon 
a farm and remained four years. In 1873, however, finding a farm 
in Wapello county offering greater inducements to an agriculturist, he 
moved there, and making a success of his work continued there ten 
years. Then another change seemed advisable, and he moved 
to a farm in the township of Benton, Keokuk county. This place em- 
braced one hundred acres of rich improved land, and by hard work 
and strict attention to business he carried on a profitable industry. 
After ten years of faithful labor there he moved to Hedrick, where he 
has since lived in retirement. Mr. Hinton is a thoroughly upright, 
and well informed gentleman, and commands the respect of all who 
know him. As a Republican he has always evinced a keen interest in poli- 
tics. 

Frank D. Hinton has certainly made the best of the opportunities 
that life has offered him. Born in Ohio, he moved with his parents 
first to Davis county. Iowa, and later to Wapello county in that state. 
In the common schools of the last named county he received for the 
most part his education, further developing those habits of industry and 
attention with which nature has endowed him. For some time after 
leaving school he assisted his father on the home farm. In 1803 he 
married in Keokuk county, Iowa, Eliza H. Hursey, who was born in that 
county, daughter of William and Margarette( Honnoll) Hursey, natives 
of Ohio, and among the old settlers of Keokuk county. To Mr. and Mrs. 



,¥>2 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Hinton have been born five children, two sons and three daughters: 
Clara, Eugene M., Ruth, Forrest L., and Florence, all born in Keokuk 
county, Iowa. 

About two years previous to his marriage Mr. Hinton settled upon 
a farm in Steady Run, Keokuk count}-, where he has since resided. 
The property embraces eighty acres of improved land, largely undei 
cultivation, and is one of the most productive farms in the vicinity. 
By strict attention to business and by keeping himself well informed 
on the most scientific and practical methods of agriculture Mr. Hinton 
has always made his place yield its maximum crops, and he is considered 
one of the progressive agriculturists of his section. 

Mr. Hinton has always occupied a high place in the estimation of the 
people of his section, where he is widely known. As a Republican he 
takes an interest in public affairs, and has served as assessor two years. 
A leading member of the Baptist church at Hedrick, he has held several 
offices and is now serving as deacon, performing his duties with marked 
ability. Fraternally he stands high and belongs to the Free and Accepted 
Masons, at Martinsburg, and to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
Steadfastness in business, marked integrity in his dealings with people, 
and freedom and ease in his intercourse with men are some of his 
dominant traits. 

H. E. DUKE. 

Much of the phenomenal growth which has attended the citv of 
Hedrick since 1888 is due to the active interest taken in its welfare by 
the above named gentleman, a well-to-do real estate man and representa- 
tive of the agricultural interests, who has had his residence in the city 
since that date. During this time he has been exceedingly active in 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 363 

everything that promised for the welfare of the city, and can be 
depended upon at any time to further its interests. He is a compara- 
tively young man and is a native of Keokuk county, where he was born 
in Richland township, August 12, 1865. His father was David Duke, 
in his turn a native of the Old Dominion state, who after attaining 
his majority settled in Logan county, Ohio. He later removed with his 
family to Richland township, where he has since been engaged actively 
in agricultural pursuits. The mother of Mr. Duke was Phoebe Hone, 
a native of Logan county, Ohio, and is still living, the mother of seven 
children, five sons and two daughters. These children are all married 
and are worthy citizens in their respective communities. The eldest, 
William, resides in Clark county ; Walter, residing on the old homestead ; 
Artie, wife of Eli Emery, Richland township; H. E., the subject of 
this sketch; Minnie, the wife of James Douglas, residing in Indiana; 
Frank and Fred were twins; Frank is a farmer living in Missouri, and 
Fred is a traveling man with the Deering Harvesting Company. 

Of this family Mr. Duke is the fourth child. He was brought up 
to habits of economy and industry on the old farm, acquiring his rudi- 
mentary education in the district school, which was supplemented by a 
course at the academy in Pleasant Plain and by a business course at a 
college in Burlington, Iowa. After completing this course he went to 
Chicago and engaged with Swift and Company as bookkeeper for a 
period of one year. He then settled in the town of Hedrick, where he 
has since resided. For a period he was engaged in the hardware business, 
having been in partnership with J. M. Brady, which firm continued to 
do business until 1896. He then traded his interest in the business for 
a farm, and was then the representative of the Rhodes Carmean Buggy 
Company of Marshalltown, Iowa, for a period of one year. He then 



364 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

came back to Hedrick and continued the same business in conjunction 
with Mr. John Ebelsheiser, in which lie continued for a period of two 
years. A brother of the subject was then taken into the firm, and the 
business was conducted under the firm name of Duke Brothers and Com- 
pany. In 1900 Mr. H. E. Duke retired from the firm and has since been 
engaged in the real estate business with Mr. C. L. Dean, the firm name 
being Dean & Duke. Our subject has been most of the time actively 
engaged in agriculture, also, on a farm of one hundred and seventy-six 
acres near Hedrick. He also owns one hundred and forty acres of land 
in the northern part of Steady Run township. Mr. Duke is a man who 
is popular among his associates in business and takes an active interest 
in the public life of the community in which he resides. He is a past 
master Mason, being a member of Garfield Lodge, No. 485 ; lie is also 
a member of the Chapter and a Knight Templar, having his membership 
in Ottumwa. In political faith he supports the principles of the Demo- 
cratic party. Mr. Duke is a gentleman who has had the felicity of see- 
ing a large number of his ventures succeed in a financial way, and al- 
though a young man, he is looked upon as one of the most substantial 
residents of his enterprising little city. He married December 5, 1896, 
the lady being Miss Minnie Hagan, daughter of J. M. and Ellen 
(Barnes) Hagan. This family was one of the early settlers of Keokuk 
county. This marriage has been blessed with two bright children, Walter 
E. and Marcella. Mr. and Mrs. Duke are worthy members of the 
society of their community, where they are held in high respect by a 
wide circle of friends and acquaintances. 



genealogical and biographical history. 365 
chester allison. 

Chester Allison, a retired farmer who is now engaged in the buying 
and shipping of stock at Thornburg, Iowa, was born on the loth of 
.April, 1836, in Washington county, Ohio. The birth of his father, 
Stephen Allison, occurred in the old garrison at Marietta, Ohio, where 
but few white settlers had located, they being far outnumbered by the 
red men in that locality. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Abigail 
Kinne, was a native of Washington county, her people being among 
the pioneers there, and to this day there stands a monument to the family 
on the site of the garrison opposite Lowell. Both Mr. and Mrs. Allison 
lived to an advanced age, the former dying at the age of eighty-two 
and the latter when ninety-four. The father had one sister who lived 
to be one hundred and seven. This was Mrs. Nancy Frost, who was 
only five years old when the family removed to Ohio and for the long 
period of ninety-one years she made her home in one place after her mar- 
riage. 

Chester Allison was the seventh in order of birth and the third son 
in a family of eight children, there being four sons and four daughters. 
Jn his native place he grew to manhood and was there married in 
March, 1858, to Miss Rebecca Perry, who was also born in Washing- 
ton county, Ohio, being a daughter of Elijah Perry, an old settler of 
that county. By this union were born the following children : Stephen 
N., now a druggist of Nassau, Iowa; Alva; Lucien, a farmer who now 
has charge of the old homestead ; George, a farmer of Colorado ; Area- 
dne, wife of Joseph Wingfield of Colorado; Emma, wife of Rudolph 
Draegert, a farmer of Prairie township, Keokuk county; and Clara, at 
home. 



366 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

During earl)- life Mr. Allison engaged in farming in his native 
county until 1865, when he located in Winnebago, Illinois, and remained 
there until the fall of 1869, when he left Illinois and came to Iowa, 
settling on a farm in Prairie township, Keokuk county. He continued 
to engage in agricultural pursuits until his removal to Thornburg in 
December, 1899, since which time he has devoted his attention to buy- 
ing and shipping stock. In his present business he is meeting with 
good success. He is still the owner of a fine farm of three hundred 
and six acres of well improved land in Prairie township, which he has 
left to the management of his son. The place is well stocked and sup- 
plied with all the conveniences and accessories found upon a model farm 
of the twentieth century. 

The Republican party has always found in Mr. Allison a stanch 
supporter of its principles, and he has taken quite an active interest in 
local politics, having filled the office of township trustee in a most com- 
mendable manner. For forty years he has been an earnest and con- 
sistent member of the Christian church, and his life has ever been in 
harmony with his professions. For a third of a century he has been 
numbered among the residents of this county and he has ever borne his 
part in promoting those enterprises calculated to advance the moral, 
social or material welfare of his community, and is justly regarded as 
one of its most valued citizens. 

EVAN SMITH. 

Evan Smith, whose home is in Coalcreek in Prairie township, needs 
no special introduction to the readers of this volume, but the work would 
be incomplete without the record of his life. A native of Ohio, he was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 367 

burn in Belmont county, May 31. 1819, and on the paternal side is of 
English origin, although the family was established in the new world 
several generations ago. His father, Thomas Smith, was a native of 
Virginia, burn in either Harrison or Loudoun county in 1787, and there 
he spent the first years of his life. In the year 1800 he accompanied his 
father, Samuel Smith, on his removal to Ohio, the family becoming pio- 
neers of Columbiana county. They settled on the Ohio river and during 
the winter of 180.? Samuel Smith entered a section of land, which is 
now a part of the town-site of Salem, and there in the midst of the dense 
forest he hewed out a farm. When he took up his residence upon this 
property his home was fifteen miles from any white habitation, and the 
family endured all the hardships and privations known to pioneer life. 
His last days were spent in Washington count)', Ohio, where he died 
when in his ninetieth year. 

Thomas Smith, the father of our subject, was reared amid frontier 
scenes, and early became familiar with the arduous task of clearing and 
improving a new farm. Soon after going to Ohio he was cured of 
white swelling in the leg by an Indian doctoi , the red men being still 
very numerous in the locality. On starting out in life for himself he 
engaged in the manufacture of brick for seme time, but when our 
subject was two years old he removed to a farm and devoted the re- 
mainder of his life to agricultural pursuits. He died at Salem, Ohio, 
in 1850, at the age of sixty-four years, ami his wife passed away in the 
spring of i860. She bore the maiden name of Nancy James and was 
also a native of the Old Dominion, her birth having occurred in either 
Loudoun or Harrison countv, Virginia, in 1792. Her father was Samuel 
James, who was born in Wales, while her mother was of English descent, 
Thomas Smith and wife were married in Belmont countv, Ohio, and 



368 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

became the parents of eleven children, eight of whom reached man 
and womanhoqil, four sons and four daughters. 

Of this family Evan Smith is the fifth in order of birth and the 
second son, though he is the oldest son that reached years of maturity- 
He made his home in the county of his nativity until fifteen years of 
age and then removed with his parents to Columbiana county, Ohio, 
and later to Morgan count}', that state. It was in the latter county that 
he was married on the 24th of November, 1841, to Miss Mary Burgess, 
who was born near Smithfield, Jefferson county, Ohio, November 21, 
18 19, but from the age of eighteen years had made her home in Mor- 
gan county. Her parents were John and Margaret (Wood) Burgess. 
To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born eleven children, six sons and five 
daughters, namely: Margaret A. and Maria, both deceased; Louisa, who 
was superintendent of schools for a period of four years and a most 
successful teacher for a good many years, is now the wife of Thomas 
Blackburn; Caroline, wife of Milton Haldeman, of Washington county, 
Kansas; Joshua P., a resident of Emporia, Kansas; Thomas E., who 
resides on the old home place in Prairie township, Keokuk county: Bur- 
gess, who died young ; William D., also a resident of Kansas ; Sarah, 
wife of Clinton Hampton, of Kansas; Marion, who is living in the same 
state; and Alva J., a surveyor of Lyon county, Kansas. 

Mr. and Mrs. Smith began their married life in Athens county, 
Ohio, on a densely timbered tract of land, their nearest neighbor being 
nearly one mile distant. After residing there for about three years 
they returned to Morgan county, and later took up their residence in 
Washington county. Ohio, whence they came to Iowa in i860. At that 
time thev settled on the farm in Prairie township, Keokuk county, which 
was their home for twenty-seven years ; to the cultivation and improve- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 369 

meat of his farm Mr. Smith devoted his energies, but is now practically 
living a retired life. He still owns some property, but has sold much 
of his farming land. 

For the long period of sixty-one years Mr. and Mrs. Smith have 
traveled life's journey together and are to-day the oldest couple in the 
county. By birthright both are members of the Society of Friends and 
have ever taken a very prominent and active part in church work. In 
the fall of 1861 they assisted in organizing a meeting of that denomi- 
nation in their home, which was a branch of the Pennsville monthly- 
meeting of Ohio until the spring of 1864, when they were granted a 
monthly meeting which was attended by a committee from the renns- 
ville monthly and quarterly meetings. In 1885 the membership num- 
bered about two hundred, although they began here with only twenty- 
three members. Mr. Smith was one of four men who borrowed the 
money to erect the first meeting house, which still stands in Coalcreek. 
At that time many of the little congregation were just getting a start 
in life in their new homes and were unable to subscribe the required 
amount and were therefore forced to borrow the sum needed. To get 
the money four of the number had to sign a note, and Mr. Smith is the 
only one of the four living, the others having passed to their reward 
in the other world. Jeremiah Stanley, one of the leaders in this work, 
only lived to attend one meeting in their new meeting house. Most of 
the lumber for this structure was hauled from Washington, Iowa, a dis- 
tance of forty-three miles. When erected the meeting house was thought 
to be sufficiently large to accommodate the congregation for main- years, 
but in the course of three years it was found to be too small, and so in 
that the present building is now fifty-eight by thirty feet in dimensions. 
1868 an addition twenty-eight feet in dength was built to the east end. S( 1 



370 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Smith is still one of the leading members of this congregation and 
is a man highly respected and esteemed by all who know him. 

Mr. Smith has kindly furnished some of his recollections of the 
thirty-eight years which he has spent in the county and township, and 
these will certainly be of interest to the many old residents. He is 
able to pick out pieces of land in various parts of the county which he, 
with the help of his sons, first turned with the plow and made fruitful ; 
these tracts contain mostly from five to ten acres each. As supervisor 
of the public roads he placed the first bridge across South English creek 
north of Thornburg, which served its purpose well and although under 
water several times always reappeared unharmed. He was one of those 
who selected the site and procured the title to the land on which school- 
house No. 1 6 stands, and he also made the first wagon track on a part 
of the public road running east and west through Prairie township. At 
one time it seemed desirable that the boundaries of section [6 should 
be better known, and Air. Smith devised the means of finding these. He 
knew of one corner that had been marked by the government surveyor 
in the customary way, a pit with the earth thrown up in a mound shape. 
After measuring the exact circumference of the wheel of his wagon 
and calculating the revolutions it would make in going a half-mile, he 
started from this mark and drove in as direct a line as possible for a 
half a mile; here another boundary mound was easily found, and this 
process was repeated until the whole section was practically re-sur- 
veyed. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 371 

JOSEPH EDGERTON. 

Prominent among the citizens of Keokuk county who have wit- 
nessed the marvelous development of this section of the state in the 
past thirty-eight years, and who have, by honest toil and industry, suc- 
ceeded in acquiring a handsome competence and are now able to spend 
the sunset of life in quiet and retirement, is the gentleman whose name 
introduces this sketch, and who resides on section jo, Prairie township. 

Mr. Edgerton was born in Belmont county, Ohio, November 18, 
1830, his parents being Joseph and Charity (Doudna) Edgerton. His 
paternal grandfather was James Edgerton, who was born in North Caro- 
lina of English ancestry and became one of the pioneer settlers of Bel- 
mont county, ( >hio. Religiously he was connected with the Society of 
Friends. The father of our subject was also a native of North Carolina 
and with his parents removed to Ohio at an early day, his boyhood 
and youth being mainly passed in Belmont county, where on reaching 
man's estate he followed farming for many years. He subsequently came 
to Iowa, where he died in 1865 at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife 
was about fifty years old at the time of her death. In the family of 
this worthy couple were nine children, five sons and four daughters, all 
of whom reached man and womanhood. 

Joseph Edgerton was the second son in this family. He was 
reared in the county of his nativity, and his primary education, which 
was obtained in a Friends school there, was supplemented by a course 
at a Friends boarding school in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. He remained 
at home "with his parents until his marriage, which was celebrated 
April 4, 1853, Miss Lydia S. Mitchell becoming his wife. She was 
born on the Island of Nantucket, October 4, 183 1, a daughter of Isaac 



372 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and Lydia (Clifford) Mitchell, the former also a native of Nantucket 
and the latter of Westport, Massachusetts. The father was three times 
married and Mrs. Edgerton was his only child by his first wife. To 
Mr. and Mrs. Edgerton have been born seven children, five sons and 
two daughters, namely: William; Mary, the wife of Jacob Whisler; 
Edward; Sarah, deceased; Nathan; Joseph J.; and Frederick M. 

For some years Mr. Edgerton was engaged in farming in Belmont 
county, Ohio, but in 1X57 came to Iowa and first located near Spring- 
ville in Linn county, where he spent two years, and then removed to 
Taylor county. There he was also engaged in agricultural pursuits until 
[864, when lie came to Keokuk county and took up his residence in Prai- 
rie township, purchasing a farm north of Nassau, to the improvement 
and cultivation of which place he devoted his time and attention until 
[875. During that vear he removed to a quarter-section of land south 
of Nassau, where lie still makes his home, and now has four hundred 
and forty acres under a high state of cultivation and supplied with the 
latest conveniences and accessories known to the progressive farmer. 
Besides this place he now owns property in Louisiana; is one of the 
directors and stockholders of the First National Bank at What Cheer; 
and a stockholder in the co-operative store at Nassau. 

On coming west Mr. Edgerton was in rather limited circumstances, 
but being a man of untiring industry, perseverance and integrity he has 
met with success in his undertakings and is to-day the owner of much 
valuable property. At different times he has had in his possession con- 
siderable Iowa land, including one hundred and twenty acres in Linn 
county, one hundred and sixty acres in Taylor county, and about one 
thousand acres in Keokuk county. At present he rents his farm in 
this county and is practically living retired, enjoying the fruits of former 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 373 

toil. He is a prominent member of the Friends church, and he cham- 
pions every movement designed to promote the general welfare of the 
community in which he lives, supports every enterprise For the public 
good, and materially aids in the advancement of all social, educational 
and moral interests. 



HENRY T. DILDINE. 

Coming ti ' Keokuk county at the age of twenty-three years, as a 
young man without capital, wishing to take advantage of business oppor- 
tunities in the west. Mr. Dildine to-day occupies a creditable position 
as a banker in Kinross and is also the mayor of the town. Prominent 
in business and political affairs, he justly deserves mention among the 
representative citizens of Keokuk county. He was born in Louisa coun- 
ty, Iowa, November 16, 1857, and comes of a family of French origin. 
His father, Abraham T. Dildine, was a native of New Jersey and was 
there reared. By occupation he was a farmer and in 1856 he emigrated 
westward to Iowa, locating upon a farm in Louisa county. There he 
lived for a time, after which he removed to Muscatine county, Iowa, 
and in 1881 came to Keokuk count}-, where he died at the age of seventy 
years. He was a life-long Democrat and was ever found faithful to 
the principles in which he believed. His wife, Mrs. Sarah E. Dil- 
dine, was also a native of New Jersey and died when more than seventy- 
eight years of age. They were the parents of two children, the daughter 
being Anna M., the wife of E. B. Brown, of Keota. 

Henry T. Dildine, the only son of the family, obtained his educa- 
tion in the graded schools near his home and arrived in Keokuk county 
at the a^e of twentv-three vears. He then became connected with farm- 



374 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ing interests in Liberty township and successfully carried on agricul- 
tural pursuits until the spring of 1901, placing his land under a high 
state of cultivation, so that he annually garnered rich harvests and upon 
the market he found ready sales for his products. On leaving the farm 
he took up his abode in Kinross and erected the only brick business 
block in the town, being associated in this enterprise with M. A. Fisher. 
In 1900 the Kinross Savings Bank was established and Mr. Dildine be- 
came its vice-president, in which capacity he has since been acting with 
the institution. The bank has behind it other business men of reliability, 
who give it an excellent standing in financial circles, and already a large 
patronage has been acquired. Mr. Dildine is one of the extensive land- 
owners in this locality, having a very valuable farm of two hundred and 
forty acres in Keokuk county and one hundred and sixty acres in John- 
son county, in addition to his property interests in Kinross and his 
stock in the bank. The bank building comprises the hotel, the bank 
and three other business rooms, which are now occupied by two general 
stores and one drugstore. 

A popular and valued member of the Masonic lodge at Kinross, 
Mr. Dildine exemplifies in his life the teachings of the craft. In politics 
he was a Democrat until 1896, when, being unable to endorse the free- 
silver plank of the Democratic and Populistic platform, he joined the 
ranks of the Republican party, of which he is now a stanch adherent. 
At the present time he is serving as mayor of the town, and his adminis- 
tration is practical and business-like, so that it promotes the best inter- 
ests of Kinross along substantial lines of improvement. Mr. Dildine 
is widely known as a man of genuine worth in business, political and 
social circles, and well deserves mention in the history of his adopted 
county. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 375 

JOHN H. BRISTOW. 

This worthy and honored retired representative of the agricultural 
interests of Keokuk county is distinguished by being the oldest living 
native of the county. He was born in Richland township on the 14th 
of November, 1842. He was for long years connected with the devel- 
opment of the county and is well known by a large number of its citizens, 
having succeeded in making a sufficient competency to pass the re- 
mainder of his life in less rigorous labor. He is now living in the town 
of Richland, where he purchased a home and is enjoying a less strenu- 
ous life. 

He is a son of William Bristow, who was born in Bourbon county, 
Kentucky, on the 8th of September, 1806. He died in Richland town- 
ship, September 13. 1898. at the advanced age of ninety-two years. 
This gentleman removed with his parents in 1807 to Ohio, where he 
continued to reside until the year 1837, when a change was made to 
Franklin county, Indiana, and later removal was made to Warren 
county of the same state. It was in this county that he married his 
first wife, Mrs. Celia Frame, the date of the marriage being Septem- 
ber 29, 1829. This lady died after three years, and in 1836, on the 
10th of Tanuarv. Mr. Brisow was married to Miss Phoebe Marchel, 
who became the mother of three sons and one daughter, the daughter dy- 
ing in infancy and the sons being deceased except our subject, Mr. John 
H. Bristow. Samuel died February 1, 1857, aged eighteen years. Mar- 
tin L. died at the age of fifty-four, February 19, 1898. This family 
settled in Richland township in the year 1839. and the father was for 
fifty-nine years a prominent figure in the development of this section 
of the county. His wife passed away on the 15th of November. 1886; 



376 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

she was born in Indiana June 24, 1806. They were worthy members 
of the t hristian church, and were held in high esteem by a very iarge 
circle of friends and acquaintances. 

Our honored subject was reared in Keokuk county, and drew in- 
spiration in the matter of education from the rude log schoolhouse of 
those pioneer days. His education was quite limited on account of the 
fact that his help was needed on the farm. He was to be found in 
the furrow at an age when he could scarcely reach the plow handles. 
He worked dutifully on the farm until his marriage, when he built 
himself a resilience on part of the old homestead and continued to live 
there till he moved to Richland in 1897. His marriage occurred on the 
10th of May, 1866, his wife's maiden name having been Catherine T- 
Ward, she also being a native of Ohii >, bi >rn Dec. 13, 1845, and a member 
of one of the old pioneer families of Keokuk county. From the date 
of his marriage until 1897 Mr. Bristow was very actively engaged in 
farming and stock raising, during which time he did a very large and 
successful business. His farm consisted of a beautiful tract of laud 
containing three hundred and twenty acres, furnished with all improve- 
ments necessary for the conduct of a large stock ranch. In the year 
stated he concluded to retire from the active conduct of the ranch and 
build himself a residence in Richland, where he has since resided. Mr. 
and Mrs. Bristow are the parents of two living children, Xorrine, now 
the wife of Fred Bray, a farmer of Richland township, and Pearl, a 
single lad_\- at home. Two children are deceased, Fred, who died aged 
twenty-two years, and Clara, who died aged six years. In a fraternal 
way Mr. Bristow is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
lows, and he and his family are worthy members of the Methodist 
church, of which organization he is a trustee. He has always supported 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. Ml 

the policies of the Republican party, but his life has been of too busy a 
nature to admit of his accepting any of the local offices. Mr. Bristow 
has been a forceful character in the business life of Keokuk county, and 
his sterling worth and high moral character being universally recog- 
nized and honored, the authors of this volume gladly give him represen- 
tation in company with the worthy families of the county. 



\VI LLIAM WAGAMON. 

From an early epoch in the development of Keokuk county William 
Wagamon has been numbered among its residents and he is now living 
on section 21, Liberty township. He was born in Darke county. Ohio, 
March 14. 1836. His father, Christopher Wagamon, was a native of 
Pennsylvania and became a pioneer of Darke county, Ohio, settling there 
in the midst of the green woods when his nearest neighbor lived three 
miles away and when the work of progress and improvement seemed 
scarcely begun. He wedded Catherine Miller, a native of the Buckeye 
state, while her mother was a native of Germany. Mr. Wagamon was 
three times married, however, the mother of our subject being his 
third wife. His death occurred in 1852 and his widow survived him 
until she was about seventy years of age. 

William Wagamon was their eldest son and second child, and was 
sixteen years of age at the time of his father's death. He remained 
with his mother until about twenty-two years of age, asssisting largely 
in carrying on the home farm. He was ihen married to Catherine 
Marker, a native of Darke county, Ohio, and they began their domestic 
life upon a small farm of twenty acres. Coming to Iowa, they located 
first in Cedar county, where they remained for four years, and then re-> 



378 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

moved to Keokuk county, settling upon the farm which has since been 
the home of our subject. The year 1864 witnessed his arrival in this 
state and since 1868 he has resided continuously in Keokuk county. 
He first purchased eighty acres of land, to which he afterward added 
another tract of eighty acres. He likewise owns another farm of one 
hundred and twenty-five acres, on which his son is now living. He also 
possesses twenty-eight and a half acres of timber land, and this with 
another eighty acre tract makes his property possessions aggregate three 
hundred and ninety-three and one half acres, the greater part of which is 
under a high state of cultivation and well improved, the owner being 
recognized as a progressive, industrious and intelligent farmer. 

Unto Mr. and Airs. Wagamon have been born seven children : 
Mary, the wife of George Herr; William H., who wedded Minnie Bergi- 
bine; Martin V., who married Elizabeth Griffith; Thomas W., who 
wedded Lena McDowell ; Charles, Eliza Ellen, and Perry Edward, all at 
home. Mr. Wagamon is a Democrat in his political views. He was at 
one time a director in the Savings Bank at Kinross and is now one of 
its stockholders. His residence in the county covers more than a third 
of a century and he has become widely known here. 



DAVID G. CLYDE. 

David G. Clyde is a prominent farmer and stockman whose home 
is on section 4, Lafayette township, where he owns and operates one 
hundred and sixty acres of valuable land. He is also engaged in the 
raising of thorough-bred horses. His business interests are returning 
to him a good income, making him one of the substantial residents 

of the community. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 379 

Mr. Clyde was horn in Washington, Tazewell county, Illinois, 
August 19, 1846. His father, D. F. Clyde, was a native of Scotland 
and in 1846 came to America, locating in Keokuk county, Iowa, in 
1858. He was one of the early settlers of this locality and became 
identified with farming interests, which he carried on until old age 
incapacitated him for further labor in this direction. He died in his 
eighty-second year. His wife, who bore tl>e maiden name of Hannah 
Greigg, was also born in the land of hills and heather and died in 1861, 
when forty-five years of age. 

David G. Clyde was the third child and the eldest son in a family 
of six children born to his parents and was but twelve years of age 
when brought to Keokuk county. No event of special importance oc- 
curred to vary the routine of farm life for him in his early youth. He 
pursued his education in the district schools and in the months 
of summer worked in the fields, following the plow and har- 
row and later aiding in the work of harvesting the crops. The 
occupation to which, he was reared he has always made his life work. 
Remaining upon the old homestead he began farming and stock rais- 
ing on his own account and he now has here a quarter section of land 
which is highly improved. In his pastures are also seen fine horses and 
his stock dealings have been quite extensive and have returned to him 
a fair profit. 

In 1870 Mr. Clyde was united in marriage to Miss Zelda Glenn, 
a native of Pennsylvania, who was reared in Washington county. Iowa, 
where her parents located when she was but one year of age, her father, 
Moses Glenn, becoming one of the honored pioneer settlers of Washing- 
ton county. Five children graced the union of our subject and his wife, but 
Marv is now deceased; William and David, twins, Zelda and Zebuda, are 



3N0 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

all at home. Mr. Civile exercises his right of franchise in support of 
the men and measures of the Democracy, and he is a member of the 
Presbyterian church. He is well known in Lafayette township and in 
Keokuk county, where he has always resided with the exception of his 
first twelve years. Therefore, in enumerating- the men who best repre- 
sent the farming interests of the county the list would not be complete 
without mention of David G. Clyde, who is accorded recognition as a 
leading agriculturist and a man of genuine worth. 

JOHN SCHROEDER. 

From Germany, the land of his nativity, in 1835, Dedrich Schroeder, 
the father of the subject of this sketch, emigrated and came to Keokuk 
county. Iowa; in 1845 with his step-father and mother he settled on 
a farm of one hundred and thirty-seven acres in German township, 
land which they improved and increased by addition of one hundred and 
forty-seven acres. Dedrich Schroeder, who was born in 18 19, still lives 
on this farm and takes an active interest in all the affairs of life; is a 
Republican, and a member of the Methodist church in German township, 
which he helped to build and has always supported. Our subject's 
mother was Caroline Neibomer ; at an early day she came from Ger- 
many to Keokuk county, and there was married to Mr. Schroeder. They 
had two children, of whom John was the youngest; the other was named 
Henry. 

John Schroeder was bom in German township, K:okuk county, on 
the 28th day of February, [86o, and there his school days were passed. 
He remained on the home farm with his father until he was thirty years 
of age and in 1890 he occupied his present place of one hundred and 




C'o'4vi*/ Jiuy^Ul w^orffc 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



383 



forty acres of well improved land, to which he has since added forty 
acres. 

In the same year lie was married in Lafayette township to Anna 
Hoelscher, who was born in German township, Keokuk county, Novem- 
ber 16, 1867; her father, Henry Hoelscher, was bom in Burlington, 
Iowa; her mother, Barbara, was a native of Switzerland: they came 
to Keokuk county about 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Schrceder had three bright 
children: Edith, born February 28, 1892; Glenwvn, born July 10, 
1894; and Mildred, born June 8, 1899. Mrs. Schrceder died March 21, 
1902. Mr. Schrceder has always been identified with the Republican 
party, and as a member of the school board, seeks to promote the cause 
of education. His church membership is in the Methodist church of 
German township, and the family, being among the oldest of the county, 
has always enjoyed an excellent reputation. 

JOHN HOLZWARTH. 

John Holzwarth, a capitalist who is now living retired in Harper, 
is a worthy representative of the German element of our American citi- 
zenship — an element which has done much to promote substantial up- 
building and material progress in this land. He was born in Baden, 
Germany, November 10, 1831, and was reared in his native country, 
there remaining until twenty-one years of age. According to the laws 
of his native land, he attended school until fourteen years of age and 
at that time began learning the miller's trade, which he followed until 
he had attained the age of twenty-six years. In 1852, severing the ties 
which bound him to the fatherland, he sailed for America, fending at 
New York. He then made his way to Rochester, that state, where 



384 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

he remained for about one year, after which he came to Keokuk count}', 
Iowa, locating in Lafayette township, a mile and a half north of the 
present site of Harper, although the town had not been founded at that 
time. Here he improved a farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
For fort}' years he was extensively engaged in stock raising and 
was compelled to give it up on account of ill health. He shipper! 
from many different points in this and adjoining counties and is as 
well known all over Keokuk county as any other resident. 
He placed his land under a very high state of cultivation, so that it 
yielded to him an excellent financial return, adding to his farm all the im- 
provements and accessories of a model place and securing the latest 
machinery to facilitate the work of field and meadow. As his finan- 
cial resources increased he added to his property until his realty posses- 
sions at one time reached eight hundred acres of good land, which he 
has since divided among his children. 

In 1857 Mr. Holzwarth was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Kill- 
mer, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1838. 
Her father, John Killmer, was a native of Germany and came to Amer- 
ica about 1836. locating in Philadelphia, where he followed his trade of 
hlacksmithing. Mr. and Mrs. Holzwarth have become the parents oi 
eleven children: George; Caroline, who is the wife of Nick Hors ; 
Christine, the wife of Levi Smith; Elizabeth, the wife of John Kauf- 
man ; Henry, who married Ella Clarahan and is living on the old home- 
stead ; William, deceased; Lucy, who died at the age of twenty-five 
years; Johnie; Rosa, wife of Thomas Flaharty, deceased; Emma, and 
another child who was named Emma and died at the age of two years. 
All were born in Keokuk count}-. 

Mr. Holzwarth is a Democrat in his political views. He was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 385 

reared in the faith of the German Reformed church and has contributed 
to the support of many measures for the public welfare. He is now- 
living a retired life and his present financial condition is in marked 
contrast to his circumstances at the time of his arrival in America. 
He had no capital when he reached New York, but he possessed strong 
purpose, sterling integrity and untiring industry, and these have en- 
abled him to overcome all difficulties and obstacles in his path and 
steadily work his way upward to prosperity. He has never had occa- 
sion to regret his determination to make his home in the new world 
and there is no more loyal citizen of Keokuk county than this adopted 
son furnished by the fatherland. 

.MICHAEL ADAM. 

Among the many farmers of the grand Teutonic stock who live 
in Keokuk count)- and have helped to make it one of the foremost agri- 
cultural counties of this commonwealth, is Mich. el Adam, a representa- 
tive farmer of Lafayette township. Peter Adam, father of Michael, be 
gan his life in Germany in the year 1837; he was educated there and 
spent his life in the cultivation of his land in that country. He became 
the husband of Magdelena Ludwig, who was horn in 1839 and was 
reared amid the industrious life of her home. Peter Adam died Novem- 
ber 8, 1873. and ten years later Mrs. Adam emigrated with her family 
to America and bought a farm of sixty-six acres in German township, 
this county. In 1883, when Mrs. Adam came to Keokuk county, she 
married Matthew Fell, who after spending his early life in Germany, 
came to this county at an early date. He was a farmer of consider- 
able property, owning several large farms in the neighborhood. His 



386 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

politics had always been Republican until shortly before bis death, when 
he adopted the tenets of the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Peter 
Adam are the parents of four children, all born and reared in Germany 
and came with their mother to this country : Michael, Peter, Nicholas 
and Rev. John Nicholas Adam, who is the priest in the Lee county Catho- 
lic church. 

Michrel Adam, the oldest son, was born March i, 1863, and was 
about twenty years old when he came to this country. For two years 
he worked on the farms in the neighborhood and for one year helped 
on the home farm. In 1886 he married, and leaving German township 
settled on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of improved land in 
Lafayette township, where be remained for two years. In 1S88 he took 
up his residence on his present place, and to the original farm of one 
hundred and forty acres he has since added until he now has a splendid 
farm of two hundred and forty-six acres. 

We have already mentioned his marriage in 1886. His wife was 
Mary Huberger, who was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, in 1866, and 
is the daughter of Jacob and Anna (Linnakem) Huberger; the latter 
were natives of Germany and early took up their abode in Keokuk 
county. Mary Huberger was but two years of age when she came with her 
parents to this county, and she was here reared and educated. Five child- 
ren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Adam, two boys and three girls : Mag- 
delena, Peter, Nicholas (deceased). Eleanor, and Anna. Mr. Adam 
supports the Democratic party, serves on the school board of his district 
and also takes an active part in the Catholic church, being on the 
church board. His whole life has been one replete with industry and 
bis success has been well earned. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 387 

NICHOLAS BESSER. 

One of the prominent old settlers of Keokuk county is Nicholas Bes- 
ser, who is now living in Harper. He is a native of the fatherland, 
his birth having occurred in Germany on the 26th of June. [833. His 
father, Peter Besser, was also born there and on severing the ties 
that bound him to his native country made his way to the new world, 
believing that he would have better business opportunities here. In 1X44 
he took up his abode in Quincy, Illinois, and thence came to Keokuk 
county, Iowa, arriving here on the' nth of October, 1X44. 

Nicholas Besser is the eldest of a family of five children and was 
but twelve years of age when his father died. He was reared in Lafay- 
ette township and as soon as old enough t<i work began to assist his 
mother and aided her in caring for the other children and providing for 
their support. Nobly he took up the burden which devolved upon him, 
although it was a heavy one for young shoulders. He did not marry 
until he was twenty-six years of age, at which time he was joined in 
wedlock to Margaret Ho'rris, also a native of Germany, who was brought 
to Keokuk county when a little maiden of ten summers and was reared 
in Clear Creek township. Mr. and Mrs. Besser began their domestic 
life in Lafayette township, where he developed and improved a farm 
from the raw land. His first wife left two children, Charles and Mary, 
and he later married again, at which time Mary Ann Schlitz became 
his wife. Four children were born: Albert, of Polk county, Iowa; 
Frank, who is living on the home farm; Edward, a practicing physician 
at Newton. Iowa; and Amelia, the wife of George Volz, of Polk county. 
By her first marriage Mrs. Besser had several children, namely: Dr. 
Nicholas Schlitz, who was educated by our subject and is now a promi- 
nent physician of Des Moines; Mar}', the wife of Dr. Hentzman, a 



388 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

skilled physician of Matamora, Illinois; Elizabeth, the wife of William 
Kern, a merchant: and Margaret, who married Ceno Blaize, of Des 
Moines. These children were all educated by Mr. Besser, who provided 
for them as he did his own. 

Mr. Besser is one of the pioneer settlers of Keokuk county and has 
been identified with its growth and development through many years. 
Ashe has continued his farm work he has found that prosperity has re- 
warded his labors and to-day he is the owner of three hundred and 
seventy acres of well improved land in the old homestead. He also 
had three hundred and seventy acres in Polk count)-. Iowa, which 
he divided among his children. Xow he is living a retired life, merely 
superintending his farming interests. He has made what he possesses 
through his own industry, for he started out in the world empty handed. 
In his political affiliations he is a Democrat and has served as a trustee of 
his township. He is also treasurer of the Mutual Insurance Company 
of Keokuk, Iowa, of which H. P. Newton is secretary. In every relation 
of life in which Mr. Besser has been found he has ever been true to 
the duties and obligations which have devolved upon him and the trust 
reposed in him. L'nremitting industry has been the keynote of his suc- 
cess and his life record should serve to encourage others who are not 
fortunate enough to have any material assistance when they start out 
upon a business career. 

H. A. MILLHOUSE. 

H. A. Millhouse is a pioneer carriage manufacturer of Keota and is 
also engaged in general blacksmithing. He realizes that industry forms 
the kevnote of success and it has therefore been owing to his close appli- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



389 



cation and unremitting diligence that he has gained a substantial compe- 
tence. Mr. Millhouse is one of the worthy citizens that Germany has 
furnished to Keokuk county, his birth having occurred in the province 
of Hesse-Cassel on the 2d of November, 1847. He came to America 
when twelve years of age, making his way direct to Muscatine, Iowa, 
and he learned his trade at Wilton Junction, in Muscatine county, serv- 
ing an apprenticeship of three years. He afterward went to Moscow, 
Iowa, where he worked for twelve months and afterward was employed 
for nine months by his old employer at Wilton Junction. Later he locr.ted 
in the city of Muscatine, where for twelve months he was engaged in 
shoeing horses, and then came west to Washington county, Iowa, where 
he assisted his father in building a house. For two years he worked 
at his trade in Washington and in Marshall. The latter town if now 
called Whalen, and is situated on the Illinois Central Railroad in Henry 
county. During the fall and winter Mr. Millhouse built a shop in Wash- 
ington county, chopping down the timber with which to build the struc- 
ture. He occupied that smithy for two years and when the town 
of Keota was established in 1872 he opened the first blacksmith shop 
in this town. He erected a little building eighteen by twenty-four feet 
and has added to this until he had a fine shop covering forty-seven by 
fifty-eight feet, which is equipped with all necessary machinery and im- 
plements for carrying on his work, and he has done a good business 
in both branches of his trade, lie built the first buggy ever made in 
Keota and has manufactured as many as eighty-five vehicles in a single 
year. He is the pioneer buggy manufacturer of the town and has made 
ami sold more buggies than any other man in Keokuk county. His 
patronage has been quite extensive and his trade profitable. As his 
financial resources have increased he has invested in land and he a w\ 



390 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

owns four hundred acres in this state together with a good residence prop- 
erty in Keota. He has recently sold his business to Albert Hilllnmse and 
will retire from active affairs. 

Mr. Millhouse was united in marriage to Miss Sadie Rand and they 
have a pleasant home, which is noted for its genial hospitality. Mr. .Mill- 
house is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity and of the Inde- 
pendent Order of Odd Fellows. He was formerly a Democrat in his 
political affiliations, but he voted for McKinley and now endorses many 
of the principles of the Republican party, believing in sound money and 
expansion. As one of the pioneer business men of Keota he is well 
known and the part which he has taken in the upbuilding and improve 
ment of this place entitles him to honorable mention in the history of 
Keokuk county. He was the first man to circulate a petition for a water 
system here. In this work he was defeated the first time, but he con- 
tinued to agitate the question until his efforts were crowned with success. 
Keota now has a good water system, which receives the endorsement 
of all public spirited men. He was also instrumental in having the cat- 
tle shut up and not allowed to run in the streets. When the town was 
established the owners of property paid all expenses for the improvement 
of streets, and Mr. Millhouse, being a very liberal man, did everything 
in his power to promote the growth and substantial development of 
Keota. He has spent much time and money for the up-building of the 
town and his efforts have been attended with excellent success. In con- 
nection with Mr. Wilson he took up a subscription to buy the first can- 
non of the town and he assisted in raising the first flag in behalf 
of the Democratic party in Keota. He was also the first boarder in the 
town, there being but one house when he located here, and Gulps' drug 
store was the first business enterprise of the village. Mr. Millhouse's 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 391 

shop-was the second business structure built in Keota and the lumber used 
in its construction was brought here by train and was the first unloaded 
at this place. Putting forth every effort in his power to contribute to 
the general welfare Mr. Millhouse certainly deserves the commendation 
and the gratitude of the public for what he has accomplished in behalf 
of this enterprising city. 

ROSS S. WHEELER. 

The late county auditor, Ross S. "Wheeler, was a native of 
Preston county, West Virginia. He was born April 3, 1859, and came 
to Iowa in 1872, when his parents moved to West Liberty, Iowa. There 
the father long followed farming and helped to improve land in Musca- 
tine county. His parents were Alphjas and Phcebe (Hanna) Wheeler. 
The father was a native of West Virginia ; the mother was born in Penn- 
sylvania. The Wheeler and Hanna families have been in this country 
for years. 

Ross S. Wheeler received a common school education, first in the 
country school and then in West Liberty. He lived on the farm until 
he was about sixteen years old and at the age of eighteen began to 
learn photography, working in West Liberty and other places. His first 
gallery was opened in West Libert}-; he ran this for two years and 
then for two years more managed a gallery at Muscatine. In October, 
1.88 1, he transferred his business interests and activities to Whatcheer 
and for seventeen years worked at his trade with good success, gaining 
the esteem and confidence of the city, which he served as clerk for five 
years. In 1898 he was elected county auditor and two years later his 
party, the Republican, returned him for a second term. In 188? be mar- 



392 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ried Miss Lida Davis, daughter of Dr. A. A. Davis, now of "\Vhatcheer, 
and once auditor for the county. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler had two child- 
ren: June and Salome. Fraternally Mr. Wheeler was a member of 
the Knights of Pythias. His death occurred in the fall of 1902, while 
still an incumbent of the auditor's office. 



DR. DANIEL C. McFARLANE. 

Perhaps no one in Keokuk county exerted a wider influence in the 
affairs of Keota and the surrounding country and was more highly re- 
spected for his noble strength of character and his kindly, helpful dispo- 
sition, than was the late Dr. McFarlane. A native of the hardy land of 
the Scots, reared under the moral and strengthening influences of a 
Scotch home and trained to his chosen profession in a university noted \< t 
its thorough, scientific teachings, it is no wonder that our subject de- 
veloped his natural talents to such an extent that he passed into the front 
rank of his profession. 

The birth of Daniel C. McFarlane occurred on the 31st day of July. 
1X41, in Koch Gailhead, Argyleshire, Scotland; his father, Hugh McFar- 
lane, was a large sheep farmer and grazier. Up to his fourteenth year 
young Daniel attended the school in the Highlands and in 1855 was sent 
to the high school at Glasgow, from which he passed into the university 
in 1856; there he studied his art curriculum and also had one term of 
anatomy and chemistry. He showed such natural fitness in these studies 
that he at once decided upon the profession of medicine as his life 
work, and in accordance with this desire his father sent him to the Edin- 
burg University; the university had at that time among its corps of 
instructors Hughes Bennett, Sir Robert Christison, Sir J. Y. Simpson, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 393 

and Sir James Lyme, and at the College of Surgeons Mathews Duncon 
was at the zenith of his career; under such gifted men his young genius 
was expanded and he completed his studies in [864. For two years he 
attended to the business connected with the settlement of his father's 
estate and at the same time did what practice he could find at home. 

In 1866 he was advised, on account of his weak lungs, to go I" 
Canada, and accordingly he made his home there for five years, coming 
to Iowa in [871 ; he made Ids advent in Keota in the following year on 
a construction train, which did not come quite so far as the present town 
site. Dr. McFarlane made Keota the choice of his residence after con- 
sulting Dr. William S. Robertson of Muscatine, who showed him 
great consideration and kindness and remained a life long friend. In 
Keota Dr. McFarlane enjoyed an excellent practice and held the confi- 
dence of the people and the friendship of his fellow physicians; he had 
the faculty of cheering his patients when in their presence and his kind 
face will be missed by many whom he had helped. He was a member of 
tine Washington count}- medical society, the Iowa Southeastern Dis- 
trict Medical Society, the State Medical Society, and the American 
Medical Association. While engaged in the performance of the duties 
of his profession he passed away on the 10th of December, 1901. 

While in Scotland the Doctor was made a Mason and in Keota 
was a member of the Adelphi lodge, No. 353, Ancient Free and Accepted 
Masons, in Sigourney belonged to the Joppa Chapter, No. 40, and the 
Bethlehem commandery, No. 45, Washington, Iowa. He was also an 
Odd Fellow, being elevated to the Grand lodge for 1899 a "d 1900, a 
Patriarch and a member of the Cretona lodge, No. 365, Knights of 
Pythias at Keota ; also a member of the Legion of Honor and of the 
Ancient Order of United Workmen. In politics he was a stanch Re- 
publican. 



394 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

On July 22. 1874, Dr. McFarlarfe married Miss Mary Ellen Disor 
of Keota, and their married life was blessed with three children, all 
daughters, one of whom, little Maude, died at the age of twenty-two 
months; the eldest, Sarah I., was married on November 14. 1894, to 
Charles A. Sing-master and is the mother of three children, Samuel C, 
Mary A., and Margaret S. : the youngest daughter. Margaret C, is the 
wife of Elmer S., Erdice, a prominent business man of Keota. 

George Disor, Mrs. McFarlane's father, was born, reared and mar- 
ried in Virginia and came to Iowa as one of the early pioneers, locating 
in Keokuk county. He engaged in the tilling of the soil and had a farm 
in Lafayette township; during the war he was postmaster of Chandler. 
Mr. Disor held firmly to the principles of the Republican party and filled 
\arious local offices in the township; he was a member of the Christian 
church and took an active part in its work. He lived to an advanced age 
and died in this county. His wife was Rebecca McDonald, also a native 
nt Virginia, where she passed her youth; she lived to be about seventy- 
two vears old. Mr. and Mrs. Disor were the parents of seven children; all 
1 >f whom grew to maturity : Mary is deceased ; Lizzie is the wife of Wil- 
liam Cranston and resides near Frankfort. Kansas; William was a 
soldier in the war of the Rebellion and is now deceased: James was 
also in the war and has passed away; Henrietta is the wife of Thomas 
Hudson, living in Iowa county ; Anna is deceased ; Ellen, who became 
Mrs. McFarlane, was the youngest of the family and was born on the 
oil homestead in Lafayette township, April 15, 1856. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 395 

EDWARD EVANS. 

Edward Evans, the genial proprietor of the Swayze House at Rich- 
land, Keokuk county, Iowa, was born in Lancaster, Iowa, February 8, 
1862, and was five years old when he came to Richland, where he was 
reared and obtained his education. While still a boy he proved his abil- 
ity to take care of himself ,his industry and honesty obtaining him em- 
ployment among the neighboring farmers and with others who needed 
his efficient services. In 1893 he engaged in the livery business and 
conducted this for eight years and then became interested in the buying, 
shipping and exchange of horses. In 1902 he embarked in the hotel 
business, for which his pleasant personality makes him well fitted. 

In 1884 Mr. Evans was married to Minnie Leming, who was born 
in Jackson township, and is a daughter of Ellison and Rebecca Leming, 
old settlers of Keokuk county, coming hither from Indiana. Mr. and 
Mrs. Evans have two children, — Gilbert and Jessie. Mr. Evans is identi- 
fied with the Masonic order, Blue Lodge, No. 38, of Richland, and the 
Modern Woodmen of America of Richland. His whole life has been 
passed in this locality and he is well known and few citizens have a 
wider circle of friends. In political sentiment he is a staunch Repub- 
lican. 



HON. JOHN C. CLARKE. 

Hon. John C. Clarke is one of the old settlers of Keokuk county 
and through many years has been a prominent factor in business and 
public life, and that he has the confidence and good will of his fellow- 
citizens is shown bv the fact that twice has he been chosen to act as their 



396 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

representative in the legislative councils of the state from Iowa county. 
He has been an active factor in industrial circles of Keota, where as a 
member of the firm of Clarke & Leacox he was engaged until recently in 
the manufacture of tile. 

Mr. Clarke was born in Lanclaff, Grafton county, New Hampshire, 
July 25, 1831, and his father, Elijah S. Clarke, was a native of the 
same county. The grandfather, John Clarke, was likewise a native of 
the old Granite state and was a Revolutionary soldier under General 
Washington. He came of English descent and was a prominent and 
influential member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he long 
served as a class leader. Elijah S. Clarke became a farmer and followed 
that occupation throughout his entire life in order to provide for his 
family. His political support was given to the Free-soil party in his 
early years and later he became a stanch Democrat. He married Huldah 
Thurston, a native of Corinth, Vermont, and a daughter of David Thurs- 
ton. His death occurred when he was fifty-one years of age, but his 
wife reached the advanced age of seventy-one years. They were the 
parents of nine children, seven of whom reached years of maturity. 

John C. Clarke of this review was the first son in his father's family. 
At the age of seven years he accompanied his parents on their removal 
to Groton, Vermont, and was there reared upon a farm. His early educa- 
tion was acquired in the common schools and he later pursued an acad- 
emic course. Like most young men starting out for themselves, he de- 
sired a companion and helpmate for life's journey and in 1853 he was 
united in marriage to Mary E. Carson, a native of Bath, New Hamp- 
shire, and a daughter of Alexander and Mary (Cogswell) Carson. She 
was reared and educated in Bath and has proved to her husband a worthy 
helpmate. The day succeeding their marriage the young couple started 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



397 



westward and located in Wisconsin, near Milwaukee, where they re- 
mained for three months. They then removed to Peoria, Illinois, where 
Mr. Clarke engaged in teaching school for three years. On the expira- 
tion of that period he came to Iowa county, Jowa, and turned his atten- 
tion to farming, purchasing- a tract of land on which he lived for twenty 
years, his attention being devoted to the raising of grain and of stock. 
When two decades had passed he took up his abode in Sigourney. Iowa, 
and there established a store, which he conducted for a year, after 
which he returned to his farm in Iowa county, making his home 
thereon until 1876, when he came to Keota. As a factor in the mercan- 
tile circles of this place he was soon active, dealing in agricultural 
implements, and through eleven years he carried on business along' that 
line. He also dealt in stoves, and in both departments ot his trade 
met with excellent success. At length, selling out, he turned his atten- 
tion to the manufacture of brick and tile, which he continued in connec- 
tion with S. K. Leacox under the firm name of Clarke & Leacox. The 
output of their factory was quite extensive and of excellent quality, so 
that it found a ready sale upon the market. In the fall of 1902 he dis- 
posed of his interest in this concern to his partner. Mr. Clarke owns 
a farm of two hundred acres in Lafayette township and another of eighty 
acres in Adams county. He has thus made judicious investments in land 
and from his farms he receives good rental. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Clarke has been blessed with three children 
who are yet living: James F., who is a dealer in horses in Keota; 
Genevieve, the wife of Rev. I. B. Schreckengast, a Methodist Episcopal 
minister of Washington; and Harry H., who is engaged in the tile busi- 
ness in Keota. The family is one well known in this portion of the 
county and their circle of friends is a very extensive one. Mr. Clarke 



398 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

has lung been a recognized leader i t public thought and action in his 
locality. In 1872 he was elected on the Republican ticket to represent 
the people of Iowa in the state legislature from Iowa county and filled 
the position so acceptably that he was re-elected in 1874. He has taken 
an active part in politics and has held other local offices. For twenty- 
three years he was a member of the city council of Keota, and exercised 
his official prerogatives for the good of the community in a way that 
was above reproach. His promptness and fidelity in office could not be 
better proved than by the fact that he was so long continued in the 
position by popular suffrage. He belongs to Adelphi Lodge, No. 353, 
Free and Accepted Masons, of which he has served as master, and he is 
also identified with the Eastern Star of Keota. Such, in brief, is the life 
history of the Hon. John C. Clarke. In whatever relation of life we 
find him — in the government service, in political circles, in business or 
in social relations, he is always the same honorable and honored gen- 
tleman and well merits the high regard which is uniformly given to 
him. 

DANIEL DILL. 

Among the active, energetic and enterprising business men of Kin- 
ross is Daniel Dill-, the president of the Savings Bank here. He is num- 
bered among the old settlers of the county and was long classed among 
the prominent farmers, his home being yet on section 36, Liberty town- 
ship. He was born in Ohio, April 7, 1839. His father, John Dill, was 
also a native of that state and a farmer by occupation. The paternal 
grandfather, Peter Dill, was born in Pennsylvania, but at an early day 
in the development of the Buckeye state took up his abode there. John 
Dill remained in Ohio until 1S46, when he, too. emigrated westward 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 399 

to become a factor in pioneeer settlement, establishing his home in Keo- 
kuk county east of the Black Hawk mill in Clear Creek township. There 
he transformed a tract of wild land into a richly improved farm. He 
lived in northern Iowa for about twelve years and died in Greenfield, 
Adair county, Iowa, at the age of seventy-four. In her maidenhood 
the mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Margaret Shires, 
and her death occurred during the early boyhood of Daniel Dill. 

Daniel was the second son and the sixth child in a family of thir- 
teen children. During his infancy his parents removed from Ohio to 
Illinois, settling in Sangamon county, and he was a lad of seven sum- 
mers when the family came to Keokuk county, where his youth was 
passed amid pioneer scenes. He pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse 
and lived upon the home farm until nineteen years of age, assisting in 
the work of clearing and cultivating the fields. He then started out for 
himself, working by the month as a farm hand. Saving his money he 
at length acquired a little capital. As a companion and helpmate on 
the journey of life he chose Susan F. Greenlee, a native of Kentucky. 
She lived in Ohio during her early girlhood and when about eight 
years of age was brought to Keokuk county, Iowa, by her parents, John 
and Nancy (Blue) Greenlee, pioneers of this locality.. She was reared 
in Clear Creek township and in 1S63 gave her hand in marriage to Mr. 
Dill. The young couple located in Richland township, beginning their 
domestic life upon a farm which Mr. Dill rented for about three years. 
He then removed to Clear Creek township, where he resided until 1875, 
when he came to Liberty township and bought the farm which is yet his 
home. There were no improvements upon the place when it came into 
his possession, all was raw land, and he turned the first furrows in the 
fields and harvested the first crops raised on the soil. He divided the 



400 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

farm into fields of convenient size by building good fences, and he also 
erected a substantial residence and good barns. He is the owner of six 
hundred and eighty-eight acres of valuable land here, which he now 
rents, giving his attention to other business affairs, although he still main- 
tains his residence upon the farm. He is the president of the Kinross 
Savings Bank, which was organized in 1899, and to his present office he 
was chosen at that time. 

The home of -Mr. and Mrs. Dill has been blessed with four children 
win 1 are yet living and they also have lost three, Emma E., Effie May, 
and George W. The two sons and two daughters who still survive are 
as follows: Allen, who married Halley Westfall and resides in Lafayette 
township; Albert, a twin brother of Allen, married Carrie Palmer, and is 
also living in Lafayette township; Ottie A., who is the wife of Amos 
Weaver, a pioneer farmer of Liberty township; and Lulu Belle, the 
wife hi' Perry Palmer, of Keota. Mr.- and Mrs. Dill are now at home 
alone, their living children all having married and gone to homes of their 
own. With the Democratic party Mr. Dill voted for many years, but is 
now a Republican, and he is known as one of the representative men of 
Keokuk county. He has been a hard worker, nut waiting for fortunate 
circumstances or influential friends to aid him, but advancing steadily 
through his own energy; guided by resistless will power, sound busi- 
ness judgment and unquestioned integrity, he has gained success and 
high standing in the business world. 

DAVID ELBRIDGE ALLEN. 
D. E. Allen, a prominent citizen of Keswick, now living a retired 
life, was born on the 10th of December, 1838, in Mount Vernon, Knox 
county, Ohio. His parents were Alva and Martha (Carry) Allen. I lis 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 401 

father was born in Lake county, Ohio. February 23. iSif>, and the mother 
was born in New Jersey, May 6, 1816. The parents came to Muscatine 
county, Iowa, in 1852 and in 1855 came to Keokuk county and settled 
active business life and in that undertaking has met with good success. 
When the country became involved in civil war he laid aside all personal 
interests and enlisted in 1861 in Company F, Eighth Iowa Volunteer 
Infantry, entering the service at Sigourney as a private. He remained at 
the front for three years, taking part in all of the engagements in which 
his regiment participated, including the battles of Shiloh and Corinth 
as well as the Red River expedition and many minor engagements. For 
nine months he was unable to engage in active duty, being confined dur- 
ing that time in the hospitals at Vicksburg, Washington and Memphis. 
When his term of service expired he was honorably discharged at Daven- 
port, Iowa, in 1864, and returned to his home in Adams township, this 
county. 

in Adams township. The father is still living, but the mother died 
July 4, 1900. They were the parents of five children, of whom our sub- 
ject is the eldest. 

David Allen was fourteen years of age when he came with the fam- 
ily to Iowa, and upon the home farm in Adams township, Keokuk coun- 
ty, he grew to manhood. He has followed farming throughout his 

On the 3d of December, 1865. Mr. Allen was united in marriage to 
Miss Lucinda Wyant, a daughter of Abram and Catherine ( Barringer) 
Wyant, and nine children were born to them, who are still living, name- 
ly : Xellie, the wife of Fred Buxton ; Eva May, the wife of Gilbert Grib- 
bon; Elmer H., a farmer of this county; Eorena Estella the wife of Al- 
bert Fry; Alva, a hardware merchant of Keswick, residing at home; 
Catharine Ethel. David A., Albert T., and Martha Permelia, also at 
home. 



402 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

After his marriage Air. Allen located in English River township, 
where he spent two years, and then removed to Adams township, where 
he purchased land and engaged in general farming with marked suc- 
cess until in 1902 he rented his land and retired from active lahor. He 
is still the owner of two hundred acres of well improved property in 
Adams township and has twenty-two and a quarter acres in Keswick, 
whither he removed in 1902. Upon this place he has erected an elegant 
modern residence, thoroughly up-to-date and supplied with all modern 
conveniences, including bath and furnace. This home was all planned 
by his son Aha, who likewise put in the furnace and did all the plumbing, 
being a young man of exceptional ability. 

Socially Mr. Allen is a member of the Grand Army post and the 
Odd Fellows Lodge at Sigourney, and at one time was also connected 
with the Masonic fraternity. He has taken quite an active and promi- 
nent part in the work of the Odd Fellows lodge, having filled all the 
offices in the order. At one time he was a member of the lodge at South 
English, but later became a charter member of the Keswick lodge, and 
took an active part in organizing the lodges at Whatcheer, Delta, Kes- 
wick, Wellman and North English. In his political views he is a stal- 
wart Republican, unwavering in his support of that party since casting 
his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in i860. He voted for 
the martyr president again in 1864 and has never failed to support the 
Republican ticket. For three years he acceptably served as trustee of 
Adams township and has also filled the office of road supervisor and has 
served on the grand jury. Being a man of good business and executive 
ability, sound judgment and strict integrity, he has met with success in 
life and is to-day the owner of one of the best improved farms in the 
county. His life has been an exemplary one in many respects, for he 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTOR} . 403 

has always been upright and honorable, strictly temperate, and ha; never 
used tobacco in any form. He is, in fact, one of the representative and 
honored citizens, as well as one of the worthy pioneers of Keokuk county, 
where he has now made his home for over forty-seven years. 



WILLIAM SNAKENBERG. 

William Snakenberg, one of the prominent and highly respected 
farmers of German township, Keokuk county, Iowa, was born in Wash- 
ington county, Iowa, November 5, 1843, and is the third child and third 
son of Detrich and Mary A. (Seaba) Snakenberg. He was about one 
year old when he was brought to Keokuk county, and he was reared and 
educated in German township. He occupied himself in farm work 
until the time of his enlistment for Civil war service in 1864, when he 
became a member of Company E, Thirteenth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, 
remaining until the close of the war, although sickness compelled him 
to remain the greater part of the time in the hospital. After his honor- 
able discharge, he returned to his home and resumed farming. In 1892 
he built the comfortable residence in which he resides on the farm of 
eighty-five acres, and has increased the value of his property by judicious 
and careful methods of cultivation. 

In 1893 Mr. Snakenberg was married to Miss Emma Boss, who 
was born in Lafayette township, Keokuk county. One son, Iren Vernon 
Paul, has been born to this union. Both our subject and wife are valued 
members of the German Methodist church and are highly respected resi- 
dents of German township. 



404 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

WESLEY W. WILSON. 

Prominent among the energetic, far-seeing and successful business 
men of Keokuk county is the subject of this sketch. His life history 
most happily illustrates what may be attained by faithful and continued 
effort in carrying out an honest purpose. Integrity, activity and energy 
have been the crowning points of his success, and his connection with 
various business enterprises and industries has been of decided advan- 
tage to this section of the state, promoting its material welfare in no 
uncertain manner. 

Mr. Wilson was born in Frederick county, Maryland, January 10, 
183S. His father. William Wilson, was a native of Pennsylvania, in 
which state he was reared, but it was in Maryland that he was united in 
marriage to Miss Aceneith R. Spurrier, a native of Xew York. They 
located on a farm in Frederick county, Maryland, where the father 
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He died at the age of seventy-eight 
years, and his wife at the age of seventy-five. The}- were the parents 
of fourteen children, two of whom died in infancy, but the other — five 
sons and seven daughters — reached years of maturity. 

Our subject, who is the youngest of the family, was reared in the 
county of his nativity and there served an apprenticeship to the black- 
smith's trade, which he followed until coming west in 1858. He first lo- 
cated in Davton township. Iowa county, Iowa, where he worked by the 
month on a farm during the summer months, while through the winter 
season he continued to follow- his trade for some time. 

In 1 861 Mr. Wilson married Miss Sarah Smith, a native of Calhoun 
county, Michigan, and a daughter of John S. and Margery (Van Gor- 
der) Smith, who were from New York, where they were married. Her 
'• ther was born in the Empire state, November 2, 1802, and had ten child- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 405 

ren, of whom Mrs. Wilson was the seventh in order of birth. She died in 
1872, and two of her four children are also deceased. Those living are 
Elsie, the wife of W. B. Robison, a business man of Seattle, Washing- 
ton ; and Charles W., a commission merchant of Chicago. After the 
death of his first wife Mr. Wilson married her sister, Miss Harriet Smith, 
who was also born in Michigan. Six children blessed this union, but one 
is now deceased. Henry M., the oldest of those living, was born Octo- 
ber 31, 187S, and was educated at Drake University and a business col- 
lege of Des Moines, graduating at the latter institution in 1897, after 
which he returned home and was elected assistant cashier of the Kes- 
wick Savings Bank. Later he was made cashier and is now hold- 
ing that position. This bank was organized in 1892 and has a capital 
stock of twenty thousand dollars. Its first officers were Wesley W. 
Wilson, president, and T. E. Johns, cashier, but two years later Mr. Wil- 
son was succeeded by Warren Higgins and in 1900 T. E. Johns was 
made president and Henry M. Wilson cashier. Fossie L., a daughter of 
our subject, is now the wife of Guy Hallett, of Lane county, Kansas, 
while Alma, Orpha and Walter are all at home. 

In the spring of 1882 Mr. Wilson removed to Keswick and em- 
barked in general mercantile business as a member of the firm of Cover, 
Baird & Wilson, but at the end of two years he sold his interest in that 
concern and formed a partnership with Messrs. Johns and Davis, under 
the firm name of Johns, Wilson & Davis. This company not only con- 
ducted a general store but also operated a creamery and was extensively 
engaged in buying and shipping stock. On his withdrawal from that 
firm in 1889 Mr. Wilson assisted in organizing a private bank, which 
was afterward merged into the Keswick Savings Bank, pre- 
viously referred to, he becoming its first president. He is still one of the 



406 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

stockholders, a director and the auditor of that bank, but at present gives 
the greater part of his attention to his real estate and stock business, 
being still engaged in buying and shipping stock. He also handles a 
large amount of real estate and is meeting with good success in all 
lines of his business. 

In politics Mr. Wilson is now a Democrat, though he was formerly 
identified with the Greenback party. For about fifteen years he efficient- 
ly served as a member of the school board and has ever given his sup- 
port to those enterprises calculated to promote the moral, intellectual, so- 
cial and material welfare of his town and county. Fraternally he is a 
member of the Odd Fellows Lodge at Millersburg, Iowa, and is a Royal 
Arch Mason, belonging to chapter Xo. J2 at Marengo, Iowa. His 
son, Henry M. Wilson, is one of the prominent Masons of this state, 
holding membership in De Paynes Commandery at Oskaloosa, and Kaaba 
Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Davenport. The record of our 
subject is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts has worked his 
way upward to a position of affluence. His life has been one of industry 
and perseverance, and the systematic and honorable business methods 
that he has followed have gained for him the confidence and high regard 
of those with whom he has been brought in contact. Without the aid of 
influence or wealth he has risen to a prominent position among the lead- 
ing men of Keokuk county. 

JONATHAN F. WHITE. 

For over forty-five years this gentleman has been prominently 
identified with the business interests of Keokuk county and is to-day 
at the head of the private banking h use of J. F. White & Sons at South 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 407 

English, being the senior member of the firm, which is now doing a large 
and profitable banking business. He was born on the 3d of June, 1835, 
in Boone county, Indiana, and being left an orphan at an early age was 
thrown upon his own resources for a livelihood and through his own 
unaided efforts has risen to a position of prominence in the business \v< irld. 

His father, James White, a son of Smith White, was a native of 
Maryland, born January 29, 1802, was taken to Kentucky during boy- 
hood and there remained until after his marriage, his time being devi ited 
to agricultural pursuits. In October, 1829, he removed to Indiana and 
settled in Boone county, where he made his home until his death, which 
occurred September 10, 1844. His wife, who bore the maiden name 
of Margaret Marsh, was born December 27, 1802, in Kentucky, where she 
was reared; she died in Indiana, August 8. 1849, having" survived her hus- 
band only five years. She was a daughter of Jonathan Marsh, a native of 
Kentucky, of Welsh lineage. The White family, paternally, is of English 
origin. Unto James and Margaret (Marsh) White were born the fol- 
lowing children : Ann Eliza, who married Charles Utterback ; Mary, 
who married W. J. Pock ; William W. ; Martha, who married John S. 
Peters: Jonathan F. ; Smith M. ; and James S. 

Jonathan F. White is the fifth child and second son in this family 
of seven children, all of whom reached years of maturity and three of the 
number are still living, those besides our subject being James S. White, 
of Sigourney, Iowa, and Mrs. Martha Peters of Indiana. Mr. White 
was only nine years old when his father died and five years later he was 
left an orphan by the death of his mother. Previous to this time he had 
attended the common schools during the winter months and for a time 
was a student in the seminary at Lebanon, Indiana. At the age of fifteen 
he started out in life for himself, working as a farm hand for six dollars 



408 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

per month. The fall after he was fifteen years of age Mr. White began 
teaching in the district schools of Boone county, and continued to follow- 
that profession for three years. At the age of seventeen he went to north- 
western Missouri and taught school in Nodaway county and later in 
Holt county, that state. Subsequently he began fanning in the latter 
count}', where he purchased land and improved a farm. 

In the meantime Mr. White come to Keokuk county, Iowa, where 
he was married in [854 to Miss Maria Thompson, who was also a native 
of Indiana, in which state she was reared and educated, coming to Iowa 
with her parents in 1853. By this union were born five children, namely: 
Virgil E., who is now engaged in the banking business with his father; 
Theodore E., who is engaged in general merchandising at South Eng- 
lish; Amazette, deceased; Willard \V.. who is also connected with the 
hank; and Elvina, wife of Dr. C. L. Heald of South English. 

After his marriage Mr. White took his bride to the home he had 
prepared for her in Holt county. Missouri, where he was engaged in 
general farming until the fall of 1857, when he removed to Keokuk coun- 
ty, Iowa, and spent the first winter in Van Buren township, but the 
following spring he removed to English River township, and again 
turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. The new part of South 
English is now located upon that farm. After farming for one year, 
he found the country so wet that he decided to embark in some other 
line of business, and in company with O. P. Whitson bought land in 
South English, known as the Hugh II. Rodman farm, a part of which 
they traded for a stock of goods belonging to Hogan, Adams & Com- 
pany. Under the firm name of White & Whitson they conducted the 
store for six months, and at the end of that time our subject traded his 
interest in the land for his partner's share in the store, becoming sole 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 40') 

owner of the same, which he continued to carry on for many years. As 
his si his became of age lie gave them an interest in the business, the 
firm becoming known as White & Suns. In 1890 the second son, Theo- 
dore F... took the store, while the father and other two sons, V. E. 
and \\ . W., organized a private bank, which they still conduct under 
firm style of J. F. White & Sons, doing a general banking business. 
This is to-day one of the most solid financial institutions of the county 
and its trade is constantly increasing, the members of the firm being 
known as most reliable and successful business men of good executive 
ability. 

In politics Mr. White is a Democrat, and in his social relations is 
a member of Xaphtali Lodge, No. 1S8, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- 
sons of which he is a charter member, and he also belongs to the Royal 
Arch Chapter at Sigourney and the Odd Fellows lodge at South English. 
I le is the oldest business man in the latter place and among the oldest in 
the count}-, having been identified with the commercial interests of the 
county for forty-four years. At the age of seventeen years he came 
west, empty-handed, in company with a boy of his own age. They jour- 
neyed by steamboat to Keokuk, Iowa, and from there walked to Keokuk 
county, where they spent one week in the country, after which they pro- 
ceeded on foot to Missouri oyer a country which was then all new. few- 
roads having been laid out at that time. With the growth and develop- 
ment of. the west he has since been prominently identified. A man of 
keen perception, of unbounded enterprise, his success in life is due entire- 
ly to his own efforts, and he deserves prominent mention among the 
leading and representative business men of his adopted county. 



410 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

GEORGE W. ELLIOTT. 

This well known and prominent citizen of Washington township, 
who is now living a retired life, was horn in Indiana on the 20th of 
A larch, 1832. His father, George Elliott, was a native of North Caro- 
lina and a farmer by occupation. The days of his boyhood and youth 
were passed in his native state, but when a young man he went to Indi- 
ana and settled upon the farm which continued to be his home throughout 
the remainder of his life. By his ballot he supported the men and meas- 
ures of the Democratic party and took quite an active interest in public 
affairs. In the Hoosier state he married Miss Susan Davison, who was 
born in Kentucky but was reared in Indiana and they became the parents 
of seven children, three sons and four daughters, namely: George W., 
Samuel, William, Samaria, Rebecca, Samantha and Mary. All were 
born in Indiana and the last named is now deceased. 

In the state of his nativity George W. Elliott was reared and edu- 
cated in much the usual manner of farmer boys at that time, nothing im- 
portant ocurring to vary the routine of farm work during his youth. He 
continued to give his father the benefit of his labors until he attained 
his majority and at the age of twenty-two he was united in marriage to 
Miss Anna Gregson, who was also a native of Indiana and there grew 
to womanhood, her parents being Eli and Margaret (Thomson) Greg- 
son. She remained under the parental roof until her marriage, which 
was celebrated in February, 1854. By this union twelve children were 
born, i\\e sons and seven daughters, those still living being Nellie, Flor- 
ence, Susan, Sarah, Ada, Alta, Ina and Willard. The deceased are 
Jefferson, Walter, Merritt and Eli. They were all born hi Iowa. 

In September following his marriage Mr. Elliott went to Texas, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 411 

where he was engaged in farming- for one season, and then came to Iowa. 
For twelve years lie made his home in Poweshiek county, where he con- 
tinued to engage in agricultural pursuits, owning and operating one 
hundred and twenty-seven acres of land in that county, which was par- 
tially improved by him. On selling out there in 1865 he came to Keokuk 
county and located on a farm of two hundred acres in Washington town- 
ship, to the development and cultivation of which he devoted his energies 
until 1S92, when he removed to his present place, consisting of one 
hundred and twenty acres, and has lived a retired life since 1900. He 
has divided his property among his children so that he might spend the 
remainder of his life in ease and quiet, free from the cares and respon- 
sibilities of business life. For some years he devoted considerable atten- 
tion to the buying and selling of stock, which he found quite profitable, 
and in all his undertakings he met with well deserved success. He 
acquired a handsome competence, so that in his declining years he will lie 
surrounded by all the comforts which make life worth the living. 

In religious faith Mr. Elliott is a Baptist, having long held mem- 
bership with that church, and he is also connected with the Masonic 
fraternity. Since attaining his majority he has always supported the 
men and measures of the Democracy and had taken an active part in local 
politics. He is well known and highly respected by his fellow citizens and 
justly deserving of prominent mention in the history of his adopted 
county. 

J. M. NELSOX. 

For almost a half century J. M. Nelson has been a resident of 
Keokuk county and now- resides upon the old family homestead which his 
father entered from the government upon locating here in 1S53. It is locat- 



412 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ed in Washington township and was one of the first farms settled in the 
locality. The subject of this review was horn in Knox county. Illinois, 
May 5, 1844. His father. Elias Nelson, was a native of Virginia, born 
in Greenbrier county, May 2~, 1822. and when five years of age left the 
Old Dominion in company with his parents, who removed to Lawrence 
county, Ohio, where they remained for about eight years, and then 
took up their abode in Knox county, Illinois, making their home upon 
a farm there until called to their final rest. Elias Nelson was married 
in Knox county in 1843 to Miss Emilv Brown, a native of Pennsylvania, 
who with her parents left that state when she was four years of age, 
locating in Meigs county, Ohio, where she spent her early childhood. At 
the age of eighteen she went with her parents to Knox county, Illinois, 
where she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Nelson. She became the 
mother of eleven children, six sons and five daughters; Jonathan, of this 
review; John Columbus, who died in the army; William Oregon, de- 
ceased; a son who died in infancy; Mary ]ane, who has also passed 
away; Virginia E., the wife of Henry King; Perry F. ; Julia, the wife 
of John Axtell, of Poweshiek count)', Iowa; Florence, the wife of Alex- 
ander Zerring; Annie, the wife of John Colbert, of Washington town- 
ship; and Grant, who completes the family. 

It was on the 1st of April, 1853, that the parents located on the 
farm on which our subject now resides, the place comprising one hun- 
dred and sixty acres of raw prairie land, which the father entered 
from the government and improved, making it a good farm, whose pro- 
ductive fields returned to him golden harvests. He remained upon 
the old homestead until his death, which occurred July 24. 1902. when 
he was eighty years of age. His death was the first in their home in 
Iowa. From the organization of the Republican party he had been 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 413 

one of its standi supporters, always active in its work. He was a 
member of the .Methodist church and his Christian faith molded his 
life. His widow still survives him and is yet living on the old home 
place at the age of seventy-eight years. Like her husband, she has 
lived an earnest Christian life and is highly respected for her many 
excellent traits of character. 

J. M. Xelson came to the old homestead with his parents when about 
nine years of age and spent his youth there, working in field and meadow 
during the summer months, while in the winter season he performed 
the duties of the schoolroom and greatly enjoyed the pleasures of the 
playground. He was yet but a boy when the Civil war broke out, but 
at the early age of seventeen years he offered bis services to his country, 
enlisting in September, [861, as a member of Company F, Eighth Iowa 
Infantry, joining the regiment at Sigourney, Iowa; and being mustered 
in at Davenport. He served for about seven months anil was then dis- 
charged on account of disability. He then returned to the old homestead 
and remained with his parents until 1864. when he once more enlisted 
under the call for men to serve for one hundred days, and remained at 
the front until the close of the war — a loyal defender of the old flag. 

Once more Mr. Xelson returned to the old homestead and remained 
until 1867. when he went upon the road as an agent for about five 
months. He was then married on the 24th of August, 1868, to Miss 
Margaret S. King, a native of Indiana, where she spent her early girl- 
hood, and then accompanied her parents to Iowa at the age of nine years, 
the family settling in Marion county, where she remained until she gave 
her hand in marriage to our subject. Their union has been blessed with 
seven children, two sons and five daughters: Chelca Q., Elsie C, Emily 
A. and Elias B., who are all deceased ; Perry F. ; Laura, the wife of Fred 



414 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Payne of Whatcheer; Maggie, at home. The mother of these child- 
ren passed away in Whatcheer, October 12, 1882, and Mr. Nelson was 
again married on August 7, 1885, his second union being with Ella A. 
Hockenberry, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Iowa in her early 
girlhood, locating in Keokuk county, where she remained with her par- 
ents until her marriage. She became the mother of twins, who died in 
infancy, and she died May 20, 1886, at her home in Frontier county, 
Nebraska, and on the nth of October, 1891, Mr. Nelson married Mrs. 
Anna Klein, a native of Keokuk comity, but reared in Nebraska. A son, 
Elias, has been born to them. 

Mr. Nelson has spent the last few years upon the old homestead in 
Washington township, and in additii n to the attention which he gives to 
the operation and management of the old farm he is also engaged in 
carpentering. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and 
in his political views is a Republican, faithful to the party and its inter- 
ests, vet never seeking office as a reward for party fealty. He belongs to 
the Methodist Episcopal church and is well known throughout the 
county as a man worthy the respect of his fellow citizens and deserving 
of the friendship which is so largely accorded him. 

JOHN A. RIGGEN. M. D. 

There are in every community men of great force of character and 
exceptional ability, who by reason of their capacity for leadership be- 
come recognize! as foremost citizens and bear a most important part in 
the development and progress of the locality with which they are con- 
nected. Such a man is Dr. Riggen, who is a prominent physician and 
influential citizen of What Cheer, Iowa. 

A native of the neighboring state of Illinois, he was born in Stark 





$yt^*7$><u<^ ???s, 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 41? 

county, October 29, 1841, a son of John and Anna (Bothwell) Rig-gen. 
His father was born in Ohio and traced his Scotch-Irish ancestry back 
to the early settlers of Maryland and Delaware. The doctor's maternal 
grandfather was also a native of the Buckeye state and was of Scotch 
descent, while his wife was born in Virginia of Irish parentage. Both 
the Riggen and Bothwell families settled in Knox and Peoria counties, 
Illinois, in the etariy '30s and originated a generation of people noted 
for their honest and sturdy habits. 

The early educational privileges of our subject were limited, as 
he was able to attend the country schools only for three winter terms, 
and what additional knowledge he has acquired has been gathered 
from the school of experience. In 1859 he accompanied the family 
on their removal to Missouri, settling in what proved to be a strong 
secession community. When the war broke out, however, both father 
and son unhesitatingly declared their adherence to the cause of the 
Union and emphasized their sentiments by enlisting in the Northern 
army, the former serving for three years in the First Missouri Cavalry, 
after which he returned home on account of wounds and disability. 
The Doctor enlisted in June, 1861, joining the Eighteenth Missouri 
Volunteer Infantry at its organization in the following July. He- 
was in the service for four years, one month and fifteen days, during 
which time he was never absent from his regiment, except two weeks 
while in the hospital with measles, and two months while home on a 
veteran furlough and in recruiting service. With his command he 
participated in a number of important skirmishes and small engagements 
in Missouri during the fall and winter of 1861. He also took 
part in the battle of Shiloh, where he was wounded ; and the 
siege and second battle of Corinth, Mississippi, in 1862. The follow- 



418 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ing year he was in the campaigns and skirmishes in western Tennes- 
see, and later was in numerous engagements, being under the com- 
mand of General Sherman in the Atlanta campaign ; the march to 
the sea ; the march through the Carolinas, and the battle of Benton- 
ville, which was the last engagement of the war. His regiment then 
marched through Virginia to Washington, D. C, and participated 
in the grand review. The Doctor takes a just pride in the fact that 
he carried a musket for nearly three years, although he was mustered 
out with the rank of first lieutenant, having been promoted for con- 
spicuous bravery and highly meritorious service. 

After the war Dr. Riggen taught school for a few months and 
then began the study of medicine, locating for the practice of his pro- 
fession in Johnstown, Bates county, Missouri, in 1869, where he main- 
tained an extensive practice for ten years, when he was compelled by 
failing health to change his location. Coming to Iowa in the spring 
of 1879. he first located in Washington county, and in 1884 removed 
to his present home in What Cheer. During the years that have since 
passed his practice has only been limited by his physical endurance, 
for his skill and ability in his chosen profession were soon widely rec- 
ognized. For twenty years he has been division surgeon for the Bur- 
lington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad Company. He is ex- 
president of the Keokuk County Medical Society and a member of 
the American Medical Association, the Iowa State Medical Society, 
the National Association of Railway Surgeons and the American Public 
Health Association. 

At St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1868, Dr. Riggen was united in mar- 
riage to Mrs. Hannah E. Mesley, with whose companionship and love 
he is still blessed. She is a daughter of the late John E. Warner, of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 414 

Syracuse New York. Their only child is Fannie E., now the wife 
of T. C. Legoe, a prominent attorney of What Cheer, though they 
have an adopted daughter, Cora F., the wife of Joseph C. Reilly, a suc- 
cessful millinery dealer in St. Louis, Missouri. 

'1 he Doctor has a splendid plantation of two thousand one hun- 
dred and twenty acres in the sunny south, where he spends his win- 
ters, while the summers are passed at What Cheer. Socially he is an 
honored member of all of the Masonic bodies up to and including the 
thirty-second degree, and he is also connected with the Independent Or- 
der of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Grand Army of 
the Republic, the Sons of Veterans and the military order of the 
Loyal Legion of the United States. For seven years he served as 
commander of Grand Army Posts Nos. 112 and 114, and in 1888 was 
elected senior vice-commander of the department of Iowa and had 
charge of the Iowa camp at the national encampment at Columbus, 
Ohio, that year. 

In 1887 Dr. Riggen was nominated by acclamation by the Republi- 
cans of Keokuk county for state representative and came within five 
votes of being elected, although the county went strongly Democratic 
that year. He has served as a member of the city school board and 
was postmaster under President Harrison, but resigned in a short time 
on account of ill health. He was the choice of his county for district 
delegate to the national Republican convention in 1892 and was elected 
as an alternate from the sixth district that year. In 1893 he was 
elected state senator from the twelfth district, being nominated by 
acclamation and elected by a majority of eight hundred and eighty-five, 
succeeding a Democrat. During his term of four years the Doctor 
rendered in a quiet way honest and faithful service to his constituents 



420 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and to the state. He was a member of a number of important com- 
mittees, including the ways and means, suppression of intemperance, 
railroad corporation, military, mines and mining, labor, highways, 
elections, public health, and pharmacy. He was also chairman of the 
legislative committee to visit the Independence insane asylum in 1894 
and the Anamosa penitentiary in 1896. From the hour of his election 
he positively refused to be considered a candidate for re-election, his 
dislike for the duties of the office and his persistent ill health making 
his resolve absolutely necessary. 

When the war with Spain was declared Dr. Riggen took an active 
interest in aiding the government, and by his diligent efforts the city 
in which he resides had the honor of a good representation in the 
Fiftieth Iowa Volunteers. He organized a squad of fifteen, accom- 
panied them to the recruiting station, and by his efforts raised money 
to pay the expenses of all who were accepted or rejected. He kept in 
touch with the boys at the front, forwarding the money to Jackson- 
ville, Florida, and when they returned gave his gratuitous profes- 
sional services to all who were ill. Upon the receipt of the news of 
the battle of Santiago he promptly tendered by telegraph through 
Congressman Lacy his immediate and gratuitous service to our wounded. 
As a number of similar offers had been made, the surgeon general ac- 
cepted the services of those who were nearer when they were needed. 
The Doctor loves Iowa and her people, but his physical condition 
will not permit him to risk the rigors of a northern winter climate. He 
is deservedly popular with all classes, having the happy faculty of being 
able to win friends easily and as easily retain them. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 421 

DR. ROBERT II. PAYNE. 

No word of encomium is necessary to introduce this gentleman to 
the citizens of Keokuk county, for the simple reason that he has been 
known of them for a period of four decades. Dr. Payne is a native 
of Illinois, where he was born in vermilion county, February 22, 1836. 
He came to Keokuk county when a young man and has been here con- 
tinuously since that date. He has the distinction of having taught the 
first school that was ever held in Ioka. 

Dr. Payne is the son of a physician, his father having been Dr. 
Jesse D. Payne, who was for long years a successful physician in Ver- 
milion county, Illinois, and who became one of the earliest settlers of 
the state of Iowa, locating in Henry county in 1836. He was a native of 
Jefferson county, Tennessee, and in medicine was a graduate of a medi- 
cal school at Nashville, Tennessee. Upon his graduation he located at 
Georgetown, Vermilion county, Illinois, the date being about 1830, and 
as stated came to Iowa in 1836. He located at a point now known 
as Mount Pleasant, a town which he surveyed and in company with 
others, laid out. He continued the practice of medicine there until his 
death occurred in middle life, he being only forty-three years of age. Dr. 
Payne was a man of great energy of purpi ise, and was largely interest- 
ed in the public utilities of his section of the country. He was one of a 
number who were instrumental in bringing Iowa Wesleyan University 
to Mount Pleasant, and was one of the trustees of that institution. He 
was very favorably known all over his section of the state. He served 
in the Iowa legislature one term and as clerk of courts in Henry County. 
The grandfather of our subject was also named Robert. He was a native 
of the Old Dominion state of Virginia, and had taken the family name 
to Tennessee in the early part of the century. The mother of our 



422 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

honored subject was Artemetia Earnest, and is of a family that was for 
long years connected with the religious interests of Tennessee. Her peo- 
ple were natives of Blount county, Tennessee, her father being Lawrence 
Earnest, a prominent minister of the Methodist church. Dr. Payne's 
father and mother were the parents of a family of seven children, two 
sons and five daughters. Only two of the family are now living, the 
other member beside our subject being Ellen E. West, at present a resi- 
dent of Omaha, Nebraska. 

Dr. Payne is next to the youngest child of the family and wis only 
five months old when he landed in Henry county. He remained at his 
home in Mount Pleasant until he was about eighteen years of age and 
succeeded in acquiring a very good foundation in the common schools 
of that day for his later medical education. He entered the Iowa 
University, and after a course there came to Keokuk county, where he 
taught the first school at [oka. He immediately began preparation for 
his profession by reading medicine with Dr. Myers of Ioka. and for 
the succeeding several years also followed the profession ->f teaching. 
On November 21, 1857, he married Martha J. Faulkner, and removing 
from Ioka, located at a point now known as Wayland, where be con- 
tinued the study of medicine with Dr. D. A. Kittle. Here he late • began 
the practice in company with Dr. Kittle, hut in 1858 located in Troy, 
Doniphan county, Kansas. After three years' practice in this place lie 
returned to Wayland, and entering Keokuk Medical College, remained 
in that institution until his graduation in 1862. this same date marking 
the year of his location in Richland, where he has been continuously 
engaged in the practice since that time. This makes him the oldest resi- 
dent practicing physician in Keokuk county. Dr. Payne is an excellent 
physician and a man who is widely known for his many fine qualities of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 42.5 

citizenship. He is prominent in his profession and keeps in close touch 
with his brother physicians, being a member of the American Medical 
Association, the International Association of Railway Surgeons, and 
the Keokuk County Medical Society. He is a prominent ami 
worthy member of the Masonic fraternity, and the Independent Order of 
Odd Fellows, and his political affiliations lie with the Republican part v. 
Dr. Payne and his wife are the parents of three sons and three daughters, 
namely: Dr. Jesse D. Payne, a prominent physician practicing at Los 
Angeles, California; Anna E., wife of Dr. W. R. Nugent, a leading 
physician in Chicago; Carrie M., wife of Martin Starr, Richland, i vva; 
Dr. John E. Payne, whose sketch appears below: G. Logan Payne, of 
Chicago, being an advertising representative of leading Iowa daily pa- 
pers; and two young members of the family that were deceased in in- 
fancy. Dr. Payne and his family are worthy members of the Methodist 
church, and have during their time been leaders in thought and 
.novement in the community of Richland. 

Dr. John E. Payne, the fourth child of the above parents, was born 
in Richland, September 16, 1871. He was well grounded in education 
in the public schools of Richland, which was later supplemented by a 
literary course in the Penn College of Oskaloosa. He then entered 
formally upon the study of his profession with his father and finished at 
the old College of Physicians and Surgeons of Keokuk. Iowa, in 1896. He 
began the practice of .his profession at Harper and continued it for a 
period of three years, but in November, 1899, he became associated in 
practice with his father in Richland. Dr. Payne is an earnest student 
of his profession, having since his graduation taken a post-graduate 
course at the Illinois School of Electro-Therapeutics, from which institu- 
tion lie graduated May 24, 1902. 



424 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Dr. Payne was married on the 29th of June, 1890, to Maggie Vitti- 
toe, and has two bright children, Vera H., and Robert H. Like his 
father, he is keenly alive to the interests of the profession, being a mem- 
ber of the Iowa State Medical Society, and of the Keokuk County 
Medical Society, while both he and his wife are acceptable members of 
the Methodist church. The family name of Payne is an honored one in 
Keokuk county, and the authors of this volume are pleased to give it 
representation here. 

W. H. HUMES. 
W. H. Humes, who carries on general farming in AYashington 
township, Keokuk county, and is one of the old residents of this locality, 
is a native of Indiana, his birth having occurred in Tippecanoe county, 
January 10, 1837. His father, James Humes, was born in Pike county, 
Ohio, in 1812, and there spent his early childhood days. In 1829, how- 
ever, he removed with his parents to Tippecanoe county, Indiana, where 
he assisted in the farm work. In 1852 he and his son came to Keokuk 
count}-, Washington township, Iowa, where they entered two hundred 
acres of raw land from the government, paying the usual price of one 
dollar and a cruarter per acre. This he improved, transforming the wild 
land into productive fields. The father of our subject remained with 
his parents until his marriage, which was celebrated in Tippecanoe 
county, Indiana, the lady of his choice being Sarah Start, a native of 
Pickaway county, Ohio, born in 1817. They were the parents of eight 
children, six sons and two daughters, and all are yet living with the ex- 
ception of two suns who died in the army. These are: John, W. H., 
Harriet, Samuel, Solomon, Rachel, James, and Thomas. John and Solo- 
mon died in the army. The father of these children lived upon his farm 






GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 425 

until two years prior to his death, when he removed to Whatcheer, Iowa. 
His first wife had died in Tippecanoe county, Indiana, and he was again 
married in 1852, his second union being with Alary Ann Hutchinson, 
a native of Pennsylvania. By this marriage there were two children, 
George and Frank, the former born in Indiana and the latter in Iowa. 
Mr. Humes was a stalwart supporter of the Democracy and was a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal church of Whatcheer. He died at his 
home in that town at the age of eighty-two years, respected by all who 
knew him. 

W. H. Humes spent his early childhood days in Indiana and when 
fifteen years of age came with his parents to Iowa, assisting his father 
011 the old farm until about eighteen years of age. The first land which 
he ever owned was a tract of forty acres and this he improved, placing 
it under a high state of cultivation. At the time of the Civil war he 
offered his services to the government, enlisting on the 8th of April, 1861, 
in Chicago, Illinois, as a member of Company B, McClellan's Dragoons. 
He served for three years and during the last two years was a member 
of the Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, belonging to Company I. He took part 
in the battle of Williamsburg, Virginia, in the seven days fight at Rich- 
mond and engagements at South Mountain and Antietam, and others of 
lesser importance, and was mustered out at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on 
the 8th of October, 1864, returning to his home with a creditable mili- 
tary record which had covered almost the entire period of the Civil war, 
his services being of great value in defending the Union. He stood guard 
at Lincoln's door and often acted as escort to him in Washington, D. C. 
After the war Mr. Humes returned to Iowa and located on his 
farm in Washington township, Keokuk county, where he still makes his 
home. He was married on the 8th of April, 1865, to Eliza Harbison, 



42o GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

a native of Ohio and a daughter of Mathew R. Harbison, one of the 
early settlers of Washington township. They became the parents of six 
children, four sons and two daughters: Glenn C. ; Eva, the wife of 
Irvin Ogden, of What Cheer; Leonard; Clair, deceased; Mabel, the 
wife of Clyde Legg. of What Cheer; and Earl, who has also passed 
away. Socially Mr. Humes is connected with the Masonic lodge of 
What Cheer, of which he is a past master. He has always been a 
stanch advocate of the Republican party, unfaltering in his support of 
its principles, yet he has never sought or desired office. He belongs to 
the Methodist Episcopal church of What Cheer and as a citizen has ever 
been as true and loyal to his country in times of peace as he was when 
he followed the old flag upon the battle fields of the south. 

DAVID NICHOL HENDERSON. 

David Nichol Henderson is one of the oldest settlers of Keokuk 
county and now makes his home on section 3, Richland township, being 
widely known as a prominent farmer of his locality. He was born in 
Guernsey county, Ohio, April 5. 1819. His father, the Hon. Thomas 
Henderson was a native of Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, horn in 1776 
and there he spent the days of his boyhood and youth. When a young 
man he accompanied his parents to Huron county, Ohio, where lie was 
married. He afterward located in Guernsey county. Ohio, and followed 
the occupation of farming. He was also very prominent in public af- 
fairs and was a recognized leader of the public thought and action of 
his community. He served as judge of the court and was three times 
elected to represent his district in the state legislature of Ohio. He 
held many local offices, including that of justice of the peace. He was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 427 

ever faithful, prompt and honorable in the discharge of his official 
duties. Prominent and influential, he left the impress of his individual- 
ity upon the public life of his county. He and two brothers, William 
and John, all located in Guernsey county. They were the sons of John 
Henderson, Sr., who was born in Pennsylvania and was of Irish descent. 
The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Jane Jackson. She 
was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, February 10, 1789, and 
was the eldest in a family of ten children. The father. Robert Jack- 
si ,11. was the third child of David and Elizabeth Jackson and was born 
in Ireland, whence he came to America in 1762. By occupation he was 
a wheelwright and for many years engaged in the manufacture of the 
old-fashioned spinning wheels. His father and Andrew Jackson's father 
were half brothers. The latter settled in South Carolina, while Robert's 
lather took up his abode in Pennsylvania. The}- were also near relatives 
of General "Stonewall" Jackson. Unto the parents of our subject were 
born three sons and eight daughters, all of whom reached years of ma- 
turity and were married, although only three of the number are now 
living, namely: David Nichol, of this review: John: and Sarah, who is 
the widow of P. S. Langford and resides in California. 

David Xichol Henderson was the seventh child and second son in 
his parents' family and was reared in his native state until sixteen 
years of age. acquiring a common school education in one of the old 
log schoolhouses of his native county. The light was admitted into the 
building through greased paper windows and in one end of the room 
was a huge fireplace from which the smoke made its egress through a 
mud and stick chimney. The seats were rude slabs and all of the furnish- 
ings of the little temple of learning were equally primitive. , Mr. Hen- 
derson, however, acquired a fair knowledge of the English branches of 



428 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

learning and has continually broadened his knowledge by reading, ex- 
perience and observation in later life. In the year 1836 he started west- 
ward, accompanying his parents on their removal to Warren county, Illi- 
nois, where he was engaged in general farming until 1839. In that 
year he came to what is now Keokuk county, Iowa. The Indians 
were still numerous here, far outnumbering the white settlers. Mr. 
Henderson located in the midst of the green woods and erected a double 
log house with a puncheon floor and a clapboard roof which was held 
down by the weight of poles. He remained with his father until his 
marriage and largely assisted in the arduous task of clearing the wild 
land and preparing it for the plow and placing it under a high state 
of cultivation. 

In 1S45 Mr. Henderson was joined in wedlock to Miss Lavina 
Jeffrey, who died in 1852, and for his second wife he chose Rose Ann 
Xoggle. who died in September, 1900. They had no children of their 
own, so they reared an adopted daughter. Mary, who is now the wife 
of John Wallerich and has two children. Ransom O. and Rosa Belle. 
They still reside upon the farm with Mr. Henderson. After his first 
marriage Mr. Henderson located in what is now Clear Creek township, 
Keokuk county, where he had taken a claim, and there he improved 
a farm of one hundred acres, adding to it from time to time until he 
owned there about four hundred acres. He carried on general farming 
and stock raising, making his home upon his first place until 1892, 
when he removed to Colfax, Iowa, hoping to benefit his wife's health 
by the change. For six years he remained in that place and then returned 
to Richland, where he lived until 1900. His wife died in that year and 
he then took up his abode with his adopted daughter, Mary, with whom 
he is now making his home. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 42<> 

Mr. Henderson is one of the honored pioneer settlers of Keokuk 
county and has been identified with the development and improvement 
of this section of the state through many years, lie prospered in his 
udertakings, but has now sold much of his land in this county, retain- 
ing, however, sixty-five acres. He also owns three hundred and twenty 
■'teres in Trego county, Kansas. He has been a life-long Democrat and 
has served as justice of the peace of Clear Creek township for forty 
years and has held other local offices. In the discharge of his official 
duties lie has ever been found true and faithful and no higher testimonial 
of capable service could be given than the fact that for four decades he 
has been continued in one office. He was made a Mason in 1851 and has 
acted as worshipful master in three different lodges, served in that office 
most of the time from the first to 1881. In his religious faith he is a 
strong Spiritualist, having been identified with the society since 1839. 
He takes a just pride in what has been accomplished in Keokuk county. 
When he arrived amid a population largely composed of Indians, lie took 
up his work- as one of the frontier settlers. He found conditions which 
would have discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit. The strug- 
gle for existence was a stern and hard one for many years. The pio- 
neer homes were little cabins, situated far apart, and the settlers had to 
perform the difficult task of reclaiming the wild land for purposes of 
civilization. The farm implements then were not as efficient as they 
are at the present time and the work of agriculture was therefore much 
more slow and difficult. With strong purpose and resolute will, how- 
ever, Mr. Henderson undertook the task of improving a farm and aid- 
ing in the upbuilding and progress of the community, and what he 
has done in behalf of the county entitles him to the gratitude of the 
present and later generations. 



430 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ANTHONY STOUGHT. 

From early pioneer times clown to the present Anthony Stought has 
been a resident of Keokuk county. He has seen its wild laud trans- 
formed into good farms dotted here and there with splendid homes, 
lie has seen towns and villages spring up and all of the industrial and 
commercial interests known to the east introduced here. With the work 
of improvement and progress he has been identified as a promoter of 
agricultural interests and he is still carrying on his farming pursuits, 
making his home in Warren township. 

Mr. Stought was horn in Sangamon county, Illinois, on the 8th of 
July, 1837. His father, Thomas Stought, was a native of Ohio, born 
in .Miami county, November i<>. [812. There he spent his childhood 
days and acquired his education. In Indiana he was married on the 
24th of March. 1833, to Miss Elizabeth Williams, who was horn in that 
stale on the nth day of June, 1816. They became the parents of 
eleven phildren, fne sons and six daughters: Hannah, born February 
23, 1834; William A., born August 1. 1835: Anthony, born July 8. 
[837; Ruth, born September 7, [839; Josiah, born October 23, 1840; 
Amanda, born August 8, 1843; Thomas, born June 8. 1845; Mary M., 
horn September 27, 1847; David W., born March 8, 1850; Barbara R., 
born December 19, 1852 ; and Frances E., born August 15. 1855. The 
father came to Iowa in 1839, settling in DesMoines county, where he 
remained for about seven years, after which he returned to Illinois, 
taking up his abode in Logan county. There he remained until the fall 
of 1853. when he once more came to Iowa and this time settled in Keo- 
kuk county. He entered a farm of forty acres of raw land, which he 
so. .11 afterward sold, and then removed to Ringgold county, Iowa, where 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 431 

his wife died on the 28th of June, 1857. At that time he returned to 
Illinois, where he remained until his death, which occurred on the 6th 
1 if December, 1862. 

Anthony Stought was only two years of age when lie first came 
to Iowa. He remained with his parents, accompanying them on their 
various removals until he was about twenty years of age, when he started 
out in life to make his own living. He was employed in various capaci- 
ties and at length, when his labors had brought him sufficient capita]. 
he invested in land and began farming on his own account. He was 
married in Springfield, Keokuk county, on the 27th of October, [859, 
10 Hj ss Louisa Hasty, a native of Morgan county, Indiana, and. a 
daughter of John Hasty, who was horn in Morgan county, Indiana, and 
became one of the pioneer settlers of Keokuk county. Iowa. Mrs. 
Stout spent her girlhood clays at her father's home in this count)-, 
remaining with her parents until she gave her hand in marriage to our 
subject. This union was blessed with two children, bur one died in 
infancy. The other son, Alvin E., born August 27, i8(>_>, is living on 
his father's farm. His birth occurred near Delta, and he was married 
on the 15th of December, t886, to Emma Lister, by whom he has 
three children, one son and two daughters, who add life and light to 
the old home place. 

Mr. Stought and his son are to-day the owners of one hundred and 
sixty acres of valuable land, all under a high state of cultivation. He 
has resided upon this farm since 187-', covering a period of thirty years. 
His marked energy and enterprise soon wrought great changes here. 
He erected good buildings, planted his fields and in course of time 
had rich harvests as a result of the progressive methods employed. 
Everything about his place is kept in a neat and thrifty condition and a 



432 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL\HISTORY. 

glance indicates to the passer-by that the owner is a progressive and 
practical agriculturist. Mr. Stought has always been a stanch advocate 
of the Republican party and interested in the welfare of his county, 
state and nation. 



GODFREY SAYLER. 

Godfrey Sayler is a retired farmer and an honored pioneer settler 
of Keokuk county, where he lias made his home for more than a half 
century. He was horn in Blount county, Tennessee, March 20, 182 1. 
His father, William Sayler. was a native of Virginia, and came to 
Pennsylvania in an early day. In 1849 lie removed to Iowa, being 
accompanied by his son Godfrey. They located in Warren township, 
Keokuk county, and there purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty 
acres of government land. This was raw and unimproved, not a fur- 
row having been turned on the prairie land, but with characteristic 
energy the father and sons cleared away the timber, broke the prairie 
land and prepared it for the planting of crops, which in time yielded 
to them a good return for their labors. The father was married in Ten- 
nessee to Catherine Keller, and they became the parents of eight chil- 
dren, three sons and five daughters, but with the exception of the sub- 
ject of this review all are deceased. The family record is as follows : 
Sallie, Jacob. Rebecca, Mary. Godfrey, Elizabeth, Selina, and a baby 
that died in infancy. William Sayler. the father of this family, spent 
his remaining days upon the old homestead in Warren township. 
Throughout his life he had carried on agricultural pursuits and he was 
an honored and respected citizen of the community in which he lived. 
where he bore his share in the improvement and development which was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 433 

taking place in those early days and which laid the foundation to the 
great future prosperity of the state of Iowa. His death occurred about 
1 861. 

Godfrey Sayler is the second son and fifth child of his father's fam- 
ily. The early days of his childhood were passed in Tennessee. With 
his parents he came to Indiana when about seven years of age, and 
remained there with his parents until his marriage. In Montgomery 
county, that state, he was united in marriage to Miss Prudence Taylor, 
a native of Indiana, where she remained until her marriage. She was 
a daughter of Abner Taylor, a pioneer settler of Indiana and later a 
pioneer settler also of Mahaska county, Iowa, where he removed in 1848 
and spent the remainder of his life. As has been stated, the subject of 
this review removed to Keokuk county in 1849, aiK ' l iere nas been en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits, as was his father before him. He has 
witnessed much of the progress and improvement which has taken place 
in county and state since he became a resident therein, and has con- 
tributed in a large measure toward the up-building of the community 
and the development of the wonderful natural resources of the state. 
The rich fields of grain in harvesting time indicate the careful cultiva- 
tion which has been bestowed upon the land of which he is the owner, 
and they yield to him a good return for his labor. When Mr. Say- 
ler came to Keokuk county there were few white settlers but many 
Indians. He now owns about two hundred acres of the original pur- 
chase made by his father and himself, and be and his wife reside upon 
the old homestead. 

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sayler were born seven children, two sons and 
five daughters, as follows : Mary Elizabeth, Nancy, and Thomas, all de- 
ceased: Annie, living- in Nebraska ; Ella and Charlie, also deceased: and 



434 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Levada. The children were all horn in Keokuk county with the excep- 
tion of the eldest, who was born in Indiana. Mr. Sayler has now- 
reached the eighty-first milestone on life's journey, while his wife, who 
has been his faithful companion through many years, has reached the 
age of seventy-three. They are living in peaceful enjoyment of a well- 
earned rest from the active labors of life, and Mr. Sayler rents his land. 
A Democrat in his political views, he is strong in his adherence to the 
principles of the party, although always content to live the life of a 
private citizen, never seeking office. No man in Keokuk county is more 
honored and respected than he, and well may he be classed among the 
representative citizens of his community. 

DR. ALLEN HEALD. 

With a long line of prominent ancestors and with a life record of his 
own that is most commendable. Dr. Allen Heald is well worthy of a 
place in this work which purposes to give the history of the foremost 
men of Keokuk county. On the paternal side the earliest record is of 
the great-great-grandfather, whose name was William Heald ; he was 
a native of England and came to America with the famous colony of 
William Penn. thus becoming one of the original founders of the com- 
monwealth of Pennsylvania. The next one in order is Nathan Heald. 
who was born in Pennsylvania, but afterward moved to Virginia. 
Grandfather William Heald was a native of Loudon county. Virginia. 
and was one of the earliest pioneers of the rich country m Columbiana 
county. Ohio; he surveyed some of that and other counties; for thirty 
years he was the government surveyor of that region. He held to the 
Quaker faith of his forefathers and was one of the prominent men of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 435 

the country. He was chosen several times to represent the Whig partv 
111 the state legislature; he was also able to say that he had east a vote 
for the first President of the United States. He lived to the great age 
of one hundred and two years, and it is recorded that the whole family 
are noted for their longevity. 

Israel Heald, the father of Doctor Heald, was born in Columbiana 
county. Ohio, and was there reared. His wife was l.vdia Allen, a na- 
tive of the same county and of the Quaker faith; her father. Isaac Alien, 
was born in Pennsylvania and was an early settler of Columbiana county. 
In 1868 Air. Heald came to Iowa and located in Cedar county, where 
he died in the eighty-second year of his life; throughout his life lie was 
a strict adherent of the religious belief of his fathers. 

In Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 1 st of July, [829, was born 
Allen Heald; he was the oldest of the two sons by his father's firs! 
marriage, bis brother Isaac being a resident of West Liberty. Musca- 
tine county, Iowa. He was educated in a Quaker school of his native 
county and later in a boarding school at Mount Pleasant, Ohio. Hav- 
ing made up his mind to the study of medicine he began his preparation 
under Dr. Kay of East Fairfield and remained with him about three 
years. He then went to Dupont, Jefferson county, Indiana, and formed 
a partnership with Dr. B. F. Richards, his brother-in-law. This was 
continued for about three years; in 1856 he came to Keokuk county, 
Iowa, and located in South English, where he engaged in active prac- 
tice up to 1898, when he retired from the field where he had won such 
deserved success. He still holds membership in the County Medical So- 
ciety. 

On October 24. 1840. Dr. Allen Heald took as his wife Rebecca 
X'eill. who was born within a few miles of her future husband's birth- 



436 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

place, the second of eight children born to Samuel and Mary (Cope) 
Neill ; she passed away in April, 1898, leaving three children: Alice is 
the wife of Chester Mendenhall ; William is single and at home; Dr. 
Clarence L. is one of the leading physicians at South English. Doctor 
1 1 eald was a Whig and when the Republican party was organized be- 
came one of its loyal members and has ever since cast his vote that way. 
He has never deserted the Quaker faith of his original American ances- 
tor, and fraternally he was a charter member of the Independent Order 
of Odd Fellows, of South English. 



DR. IRA F. CAMERON. 

The subject of this sketch is one of the old and prominent physi- 
cians and an old settler of Keokuk county and as such deserves mention 
in this volume. His father, Allen Cameron, was a native of Montgom- 
ery county. New York, and remained there until twenty years of age. 
He then removed to Hamilton county, Ohio, and there taught school for 
a number of years. During one of his vacations he was married near 
Cincinnati and then came west to Iowa, in 1857; he had bought land 
in Adams township, Keokuk county, in 1852. He engaged in farming 
for a number of years and in 1880 embarked in the drug and stationery 
business, which he continued till his retirement in 1884. He passed 
from the scenes of earth in 1894. He had engaged in several occupa- 
tions in life, and always with success. As a member of the Democratic 
party he held the office of justice of the peace, was a member of the 
school board, and for three times was the candidate of his party for 
state representative. Always active in public affairs, his life was one 
of exeat usefulness to the county and state. He married Mariah Broad- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 437 

well, who was born, reared and educated in Hamilton count}', Ohio; 
she died in 1889 and was the mother of four children, one of whom died 
in infancy. 

One of these children was Ira V . Cameron, who records his birth as 
occurring in Hamilton county, Ohio. June 20, 1847, aiK ' ne was thus 
but ten years of age when his parents brought him to Iowa. After re- 
ceiving his preliminary education in the district school, when about 
seventeen years of age he entered the Iowa State University and con- 
tinued in attendance for three years, teaching school a portion of the 
time. After his marriage he attended the Eclectic Medical Institute 
of Cincinnati and graduated in 1876. Then locating in Keswick, Iowa, 
he has made that place his home ever since and is now one of the oldest 
practitioners in the county, having constantly devoted himself to the 
alleviation of the sufferings of humanity for twenty-six years. He is 
also engaged in the drug business. 

In iSjo Dr. Cameron was united in marriage to Miss Martha Con- 
nelly, a native of Delaware county, Ohio, where she was reared and 
educated. They are the parents of two children : Mable is a graduate 
in the department of pharmacy at the Iowa State University; and 
Elmer is attending high school. The Doctor is a member of the Keo- 
kuk County Medical Association and is ex-president of the same; he is 
also a member of the Iowa Association of Railway Surgeons. Until 
1896 he was a Democrat, but in that year he decided to take a position 
of independence in the matter of politics; he has been the candidate of 
that party for the state legislature, but failed of election because he was 
on the unpopular side. He has served as member of the school board 
for several years and always takes a deep interest in affairs of a public 



438 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

nature. Mr. Cameron has one of the finest residences in the city; it 
was built in 1892 at a cost of three thousand and five hundred dollars 
and is equipped with all modern conveniences. 

THOMAS SINGMASTER. 

Thomas Shipmaster is one of the prominent and representative 
men of Keokuk county, Iowa, living on section 36, Clear Creek town- 
ship, on the old family homestead. He is widely known beyond the 
confines oi this county because of his extensive dealing as an importer 
o| fine horses, and in the locality where he has so long resided he is 
cherished as a faithful man, a worth) citizen and an upright business 
man. lie was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, February 16. 1840. 
and is the fourth child of Samuel and Mary Singmaster, who are repre- 
sented on another page of this work. He was nearly four years of age 
when brought by his parents to Keokuk county. Iowa, where he has lived 
continuously since. He was reared upon the old family homestead and 
during his boyhood he pursued his studies in a log schoolhouse during 
the winter months, mastering the branches of learning therein taught. 
During the summer season he assisted in the work of the home farm 
and as he grew in years be was entrusted with more and more of the 
responsibility of carrying on the farm and conducting the stock dealing 
operations. As the sons reached their majority they were taken into 
partnership by the father and the business was conducted jointly by the 
family until 1891. Thomas Singmaster. however, always remained 
ii'ith his father and after the hitter's death took charge of the large 
estate. Many years ago he began breeding fine horses and dealing in 
the same. He has also made large investments in real estate and to-day 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 439 

lie is one of the extensive land holders of Keokuk county, his posses 
sions aggregating over three thousand acres, the most of whirl) is in 
Keokuk and Washington counties. He also has two hundred and forty 
acres in Nebraska. He handles about four hundred head of cattle each 
year, having now about three hundred head, and about two hundred head 
of horses, also five hundred hogs. His stock dealing operations are 
extensive and profitable because of his excellent judgment concerning 
stock. Mr. Singmaster is interested in three banks. First National 
Bank of Richland, the State Bank of Keota, and State Bank of Harper. 
After his father's death Air. Singmaster was married to Miss Kate 
Kaufman, a daughter of John and Mary (Ludwig) Kaufman, and they 
now have an interesting little daughter, Mary Eva. Mr. Singmaster has 
been a life-long Republican, unswerving in his advocacy of the part}', 
yet he has never sought or desired office, preferring to give his entire 
attention to his business affairs. He is one of the men who have gained 
for the state its place among the leading agricultural commonwealths 
of tins great nation. For almost sixty years he has resided in Keokuk 
county, and from pioneer times down to the present he has been inter- 
ested in everything pertaining to the general good and has contributed 
in a large measure to public improvement. The splendid reputation 
made by the father in business circles has been sustained by the son. 
Through his large operations in land and stock he has acquired excellent 
success, which classes him among the wealthy residents of Keokuk 
county. 



440 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

JAMES POLK RANDALL. 

A list of the leading citizens of Keokuk county would certainly 
embrace the name of J. P. Randall for one of the representative and 
and honored residents of Delta. He is one to whom has been entrusted 
important public service and over whose record there falls no shadow 
of wrong or suspicion of evil. His unbending integrity of character, 
his fearlessness in the discharge of his duties, and his appreciation of 
the responsibilities that have rested upon him, have been such as ro 
make his a most acceptable incumbent in office and his worth is and has 
been widely acknowledged. He is now serving as mayor of Delta and 
is a recognized leader in Democratic circles. 

A native of Keokuk county, Mr. Randall was born in Warren town- 
ship, February 26, 1847, anc l is a son of Maxon and Drusilla (Green- 
field) Randall, natives of New York and Pennsylvania, respectively. 
His paternal grandfather, William Randall, is supposed to have been 
born in the east and to have been of English descent. During his boy- 
hood the father removed with his parents to the Keystone state and 
was reared and educated in Erie county. About 1839 he became a resi- 
dent of Kendall county, Illinois, and in 1844 came to Keokuk county, 
Iowa. After taking up a claim in Warren township and building there- 
on a cabin, he returned to Illinois and the following year brought his 
family to the home that he had prepared for them here. They were 
among the first settlers of Warren township and bore an active part in 
the earl}- development and progress of the township and county. The 
father improved a farm, which he continued to cultivate until 1878, 
when he sold the place and removed to Sigourney, where be died at 
the a°e of seventy-two years, honored and respected by all who knew 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 441 

him. In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat, and as one of the most 
prominent and influential citizens of his community he was often called 
upon to fill local offices, being a member of the county board of super- 
visors for a number of years. His estimable wife, who survived him 
many years, passed away in 1895 at the age of seventy-six years. They 
were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom reached man and 
womanhood. 

Our subject is the eighth in order of birth in this family and the 
fifth son. He was reared amid frontier scenes and during his boyhood 
pursued his studies in a little log schoolhouse in Warren township. 
During his minority he gave his father the benefit of his labors in the 
operation of the home farm, and on leaving the parental roof learned the 
carpenter's trade. In 1872 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Randall 
and Miss Mary Hayes, who was born, reared and educated in Wash- 
ington county, Iowa, and the following children blessed their union: 
Mary Eliza, who taught for five years in the Delta schools and for one 
term in Richland, is now the wife of S. H. Xeill. a farmer of Washing- 
ton county. Iva May also taught three terms in the Delta schools and 
for eight months in the country, and is now the wife of J. R. Samp- 
son, a furniture dealer of Delta. Xellie is the wife of Estie Wilkin- 
son, a merchant of Allerton, Iowa: Drusilla. who resides at home, is 
now a teacher in the Delta schools. 

For three years after his marriage Mr. Randall lived in Washing- 
ton county, Iowa, and in 1876 settled on a farm in Warren township, 
Keokuk county, where he was successfully engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits until 1887, when he retired from active labor and removed to 
Delta, though he is still the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and 
seventy-two acres which he rents. Besides this property he has another 



442 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

tract of forty acres, which lie has laid off into an addition to Delta, 
and still another addition of thirteen acres where he now lives. 

Since his removal to Delta Air. Randall has taken a very active 
and prominent part in municipal affairs and has most acceptably served 
as mayor since 1893. He has filled all of the township offices with ex- 
ception of justice of the peace, and was trustee of Warren township for 
the long period of twelve years. The Democratic party has always 
found in him a stanch supporter of its principles and he has been largely 
instrumental in promoting its interests throughout the community in 
which he resides. He is an honored member of Delta Lodge, Xo. 385, 
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has rilled all of the 
chairs, and his religious belief in that of the Christian church. He takes 
a deep interest in all that pertains to the public welfare and the good of 
the community in which he resides. He is genial, courteous, enterprising 
and progressive, of commendable public spirit and the highest integrity, 
and reflects credit on the city which has honored him with the highest 
office. 

JACOB JONES. 

Jacob Jones, a member of the grocery firm of Jones Brothers of Rich- 
land, Keokuk county, Iowa, was horn in Blount county. Tennessee. March 
14, 1848, and is a son of Hezekiah and Jerusha ( Bales) Jones, who were 
married in Tennessee, and moved to Keokuk county in 1851, locating 
on a farm two miles north of Richland. Later Mr. Jones was engaged 
in a grocery business at Pleasantplain, Iowa, for some thirteen years, 
returning then to his farm, where he now resides at the age of eighty 
years. The mother of our subject was born and reared in Tennessee 






GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 443 

and was married in Greene county, and is now seventy-nine years of 
age. Both she and her husband were reared in the Society of Friends, 
her father, David Bales, being a very prominent member. He lived 
to the age of one hundred years. The Jones family is of Welsh descent. 
The family born to the parents of our subject numbered ten children, 
their names being as follows: Abigail, who died, when about fifty-six 
wars old; David H., who is a farmer near Pleasantplain, Iowa; Jacob 
and Isaac, who were twins, the latter of whom died at the age of twenty- 
eight years; Rebecca A., who is the wife of Ezra Hadley, of Jefferson 
county, Iowa: William W., who resides in Richland township, on the 
old homestead; Emma, who was the wife of T. A. Hill, passed away at 
the age of twenty-five years; H. Morgan, who is a member of the firm of 
Jones Brothers: Lewis E.. who is a resident of Pleasantplain; and 
Joseph John, who died at the age of two years. 

Jacob Jones was reared on the farm in Richland township and ob- 
tained his education in the local schools, supplemented with four terms 
at Penn College, at Oskaloosa, Iow-a, where he took a complete commer- 
cial course. ' After finishing school he engaged in teaching for eight 
terms, all but one in Keokuk county, and then began in the grocery 
business in the capacity of a clerk. He remained for three years with 
Swearingen & Stalker in Richland, and later was with other firms, thus 
thoroughly mastering every detail of the trade. Thus equipped, in 1884 
he formed a partnership with T. A. Hill in the grocery business, but 
six months later Mr. Hill withdrew 7 and Morgan Jones, a younger 
brother of our subject, took his interest, and since that time the firm style 
has been Jones Brothers, and has grown into one of the leading houses 
in Richland. 

On September 18. 1888. Mr. Jones was married to M. Sue Paxton, 



444 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

who was born in Virginia and is the daughter of George W. and Edith 
(Price) Paxton. Four children have been born to this union, namely: 
Florence L., Frances E., Harold J., and an infant. Mr. Jones was 
reared as a Friend and is an earnest worker for the interests of the So- 
ciety and is active in the Sabbath-school. Since he was three years old 
he has lived in Richland township, and since attaining years of discre- 
tion has cast his influence in the direction of education and morality and 
has furthered as far as possible all legitimate temperance movements. 
In politics he is a Republican and at different times has served in the 
town council. Air. Jones is a good citizen and as such is universally 
held in esteem. 



JAMES SINGLETON. 

James Singleton has resided in Richland township for sixty years, 
a period antedating the residence of any other settler here. His memory 
forms a connecting link between pioneer times and the present, when 
all the evidences of an advanced civilization are found in the' county. He 
can relate many interesting incidents of pioneer times, for he has experi- 
enced all the hardships and trials as well as the pleasures of life upon 
the frontier. He is now well known as an extensive buyer and shipper 
of stock and in his business dealings he has prospered. His home is on 
section 15, Richland township. 

Mr. Singleton was born in Blount county, Tennessee, December 9, 
1842. His father. John Singleton, was a native of Virginia and in 
early life removed to Tennessee, where he was united in marriage to 
Delilah Bond. There were no children by that marriage, but after the 
death of his wife he married her sister, Nancy Bond. For his third 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 445 

wife he chose Mary Jones and they became the parents of seven children 
who are yet living. By the second marriage there was but one child, the 
subject of this review. Mr. Singleton came with his father and. step- 
mother to Keokuk county. Iowa, when he was only two years of age. 
They settled here among the Indians and when a little lad our subject 
frequently mingled in the sports of the sons of the forest. He pursued 
his education in a log schoolhouse such as was common at that time. It 
had a clapboard roof, a puncheon floor and a mud ami stick chimney. The 
desk was formed by laying a slab upon pins which were driven into the 
wall. It was in that kind of an institution that Mr. Singleton completed 
his education. As soon as old enough to handle the plow be became 
an active factor in farm work. The land was wild and unimproved. 
Not a furrow had been turned when the family took up their abode upon 
this place. Their meal was ground in a coffee-mill or by a pestle and 
mortar. The family endured many hardships during those early days. 
On one occasion the father sold his only vest for twenty-five cents in 
order to buy salt to go into the bread. As the years advanced, however, 
changes came for the better and the farm, producing richly, brought to 
the family the means which supplied them with the various comforts of 
life. 

Mr. Singleton remained with his father until his marriage, which 
occurred in 1866, Miss Abigail Jones, a representative of an old family 
of the county, becoming his wife. Mr. Singleton purchased a place in 
Yankee street, in Richland, located there and after making it his 
home for some time sold the property and purchased his present farm, 
which he has improved in many ways. About 1886 he began dealing 
extensively in stock, buying, shipping and feeding. He followed that 
pursuit continuously for thirteen years, when he retired from business. 



446 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

His wife died in 1900. and feeling the need of an occupation after this 
he once more began dealing in stock, which he now continues with excel- 
lent success. He has a valuable farm of one hundred and forty acres, 
which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and upon this place 
he has a large number of hogs and cattle. He buys stock all over the 
county and is one of the leading representatives of this business in his 
locality. His extensive purchases and sales have brought to him a good 
financial return for his labor and he is now one of the well-to-do resi- 
dents of Richland township. He is one of the stockholders of the First 
National Bank of Richland, having made judicious investments in that 
bank. He has lived in this township for sixty years and is one of the 
honored pioneers of the county. Mr. Singleton belongs to the Friend's 
church and in politics he is a stanch Republican. A self-made man. he 
deserves great credit for what he has accomplished through industry, 
perseverance and capable management. He lived in this county when 
he had to go to Burlington to mill, a distance of sixty miles, making the 
entire trip by team. In those early days the pioneers also used wooden 
mold-boards on their plows, and other farm implements were equally 
primitive. Mr. Singleton has kept abreast with the progress and im- 
provements of the times and as the years have advanced he has prospered 
until he is now one of the substantial residents of Keokuk county. 
From his boyhood days down to the present he has taken an active part 
in the work of improvement and upbuilding and well may he be classed 
ami ing the honored pioneer settlers. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 44T 

WILLIAM A. SHAFFER. 

One of Richland's successful business men is William A. Shaffer, 
win) has a prosperous harness trade and whose grandfather and lather 
were both in the same occupation. The grandfather was John Shatter, 
a native of Pennsylvania. William Shaffer, the father, was born in 
Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1819, where he learned the trade of har- 
ness maker, and later moved to Zanesville, Ohio, about 1835. He con- 
tinued business there until 1864 and then went further west to Fairfield. 
Iowa, where he engaged in his trade until his death in 1884 at the age 
of sixty-five years. For many years he was a member of the Methodist 
church. While the Whig party was in existence he devoted himself 
to its principles and later was an adherent of the Republican party. 
His wife was Ann Ruth, born in Washington, Pennsylvania, of Scotch 
origin, and lived to the age of eighty-three years. They were the par- 
ems of ten children and nine grew to maturity, five daughters and four 
sons. 

William A. Shaffer was the sixth child and third son of the above 
and was born January 30, 1848, in Zanesville, Ohio. During the Civil 
war he enlisted in the Seventy-eighth Ohio, serving for three months, 
and from that time acted as agent for a recruiting office. In April, [864, 
he went to the front again with the army of the Potomac and served till 
August 1. 1864. when he was mustered out at Zanesville. There he 
remained a short time, then came west and began the harness trade as 
an apprentice, November 28, 1864, in Fairfield, fowa. After completing 
his apprenticeship he worked at his trade at different places in Illinois 
for twelve years. On February 17, 1879. he began work by the day in 
Richland, Iowa, for Dan Bryfogle. who after eighteen months sold his 



448 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

business to A. F. Bridge. For the latter Mr. Shaffer worked for eleven 
years and four months and then bought out the business and has con- 
ducted it since. He recently built a fine shop of brick, twenty-two by 
seventy-five feet. 

Mr. Shaffer was married on July 3, 188 1. to Margaret M. F. Lang 
of Kahoka, Missouri ; no children have been born of the union. He is 
allied with the Democratic party, takes part in various social organiza- 
tions, the Masons; Grand Army of the Republic, Post No. 143, in which 
he has filled most of the offices. He is president of the Fraternal Aid 
Association and has held this office for six years. In all these orders 
and other affairs he takes active part, and in his business he has the 
most extensive harness manufactory in the county, employing several 
men and selling the output not only to local trade, but outside the comity. 



WILLIAM E. SMITH. 
William E. Smith, a retired merchant of Richland, Keokuk county, 
Iowa, is the son of Peter Smith. The latter was born in Yorkshire, 
England, and there was reared, following the miller's trade. In 1835 
he came to America, and locating at Burlington. Iowa, he bought a claim 
of four hundred acres, paying the government for the same, but subse- 
quently had to purchase it at land sales. His death occurred in his seventy- 
fifth year near Burlington. He had been a follower of the old Whig 
party and was an ardent admirer of Henry Clay. His wife was Martha 
Ellison, who was also a native of England and lived to be eighty-one 
vears of age. The year before his death the fiftieth anniversary of their 
marriage was celebrated. She was the mother of ten children, three 
daughters and seven sons, of whom all reached maturity. 



genealogical and biographical history. 449 

William E. Smith was the fifth child and fourth son of the above, 
and was born in Yorkshire, England, August 14, 1828. He was seven 
years old when his father emigrated to America, and on his father's 
farm near Burlington, Iowa, he was reared, attending school in a log 
cabin and later the schools in Burlington. He remained with his father 
until he was twenty- four years old, then in 1852, with five yoke of oxen, 
he started toward the gold fields of California, making his journey by 
way of the South Platte river. He engaged in mining for four years 
and had considerable success, then returned to New York city by way 
of Panama. He remained in Burlington for fiye years, when he again 
set out across the plains with a mule team. He was commissioned by 
the provost marshal of the Southern Iowa district to act as scout. This 
time he (yent by way of Salt Lake City to Idaho and served as a scout 
from Fort Douglas for about two and a half years. He then returned 
through Salt Lake City and Omaha to Burlington, where for six years 
he followed farming and stock raising. In 1872 he embarked in the 
lumb'.T and grain business at Morning Sun, Louisa county, Iowa, in 
whic'/i he continued for nineteen years. In 1892 Mr. Smith opened 
a lumber and hardware establishment in Richland, which he sold to his 
son in 1901, and retired from his long and successful business career. 

Mr. Smith became the husband of Illie Hunt on October 2S. 1866. 
SI e was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, near Burlington, October 19, 
i'it,/. Her father was Jesse Hunt, a native of Tennessee, who came 
t ) Des Moines county in 1833 and brought his family in 1834. He took 
/p land from the government, and this farm is now owned by his son, 
John B. He lived to the age of eighty-six years and died on this farm. 
His wife was Delinda Kirkpatrick, a native of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. 
Smith are the parents of four children: Jessie, the wife of Rev. C. E. 



450 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Todd, of Baker City, Oregon, a minister of the Methodist church; 
Harriet, wife of Samuel Reaney. of Estherville, Iowa, a land agent; Bes- 
sie, wife of Dr. C. E. Birney, a physician of Estherville; and Fred \Y., 
unmarried, and owning the former business of his father in Richland. 
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. 

CHARLES J. STEEL. 

Charles J. Steel, who owns a blacksmith shop and a machine shop 
in Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, is a native of Sweden, from which 
country come so many hardworking and useful citizens of this country, 
lie was born June 21, 1S42, in Sweden and attended school until he was 
about fourteen years old. He left his parents when he was only nine 
and a half years old and was reared by the judge of the district court until 
eighteen years of age. He began as an apprentice to the blacksmith 
trade, serving thus for seven years and learning all the branches of the 
art, and then was blacksmith fur five years on one of the large estates 
of the old country. 

In 1869 Mr. Steel came to America and first located at Princeton, 
Illinois, where he worked at his trade for several months: he then re- 
moved to Burlington, Iowa, where he worked for a while. On July 5, 
1870, he came to Richland. For six years he worked for another man, 
Oliver Lundin, but in 1877 he opened a shop of his own, which he has 
retained ever since, thus having been in Richland for thirty-two years. 
He has a large and flourishing trade, and he is known as one of the 
sound business men of the town. 

His wife was Anna Turnbul, and they have one son. Herbert, who 
works for his father. In social life his active support is given to Cos- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 451 

suth Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; in politics he is a Repub- 
lican, and for three years he served on the city council. Highly respect- 
ed, with a reputation for honesty and industry, his life is one deserving 
of. the success he has won. 

LOUIS D. SNAKENBERG. 

The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success 
has been worthily achieved, who has acquired a high reputation in his 
chosen calling, and whose prominence is not less the result of an irre- 
proachable life than of recognized natural gifts. It is a pleasing indul- 
gence to write the biography of a man of this character, such as Louis 
D. Snakenberg is known to be. He is one of the leading farmers in 
German township, where his farm in all its appointments indicates the 
progressive spirit, enterprise and good business ability of the owner, 
who is justly numbered among the most skillful and thorough agricul- 
turalists of his native township. October 9, 1851, marks the ushering of 
this gentleman into the world, the place being his native township. His 
parents were natives of Germany, the father's name being John Snaken- 
berg and his mother Dorethe Scharnhorst. John was born in Germany 
March 15, 1814, and when a young man came to America, in 1836; he 
settled in 1844 in Keokuk county, preempting a farm just south of where 
our subject now resides. This was in its primitive wild state, and the 
life of our subject's father was filled with the trials that come to all 
the pioneers of that day. He "stuck to his last," however, .and had the 
satisfaction of having carved out of the wilderness one of the finest farm 
properties in Keokuk county, on which he died in 1892. He was one 
of nature's noblemen, a man whose word was as good as his bond, and 
whose simple and trustful life had a splendid influence for good upon 



452 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Lis community. He gave allegiance to the principles of the Democratic 
party and was honored during that time by his fellow citizens with 
some of f he offices ■ f the township. He married in the county as 
above stated, his wife having been the daughter of Christian and Dore- 
the Scharnhorst, who were also among the early settlers of the county. 
1 1 ey became the parents of ten children, of which the subject of tin's 
re\iew is the eldest; their names are as follows: Louis D. ; John \Y., 
deceased; Henry; Nicholas; Mary; Katherine; Richard and Minnie, 
twins; George, and Emma. Mr. Louis D. Snakenberg remained with 
his parents until he was three years beyond his majority, assisting in 
the cultivation of the farm. Here he learned the habits of industry which 
have so distinguished him in later life, and which have seen their fruition 
in the success which has come to him. He received a fairly good educa- 
tion in the common schools in German township. At the age of twenty- 
tour he settled on the site which he now owns, and which at that time 
was virgin soil. He looks with satisfaction on the fact that the beauti- 
ful farm of which he is now the owner is the work of his own hands, 
supplemented by the bountiful providence of Dame Nature. He is 
known the county over as being an excellent farmer, and deals exten- 
sively in fine stock. His home life began in 1876, March 2nd, when he 
was happily married to Dorothy Seebe. This lady is the daughter of 
Christopher and Sarah Seebe and is a native of the township in which 
she now lives. Her father was a native born German, while her mother's 
nativity was in Ohio. They removed to the county in a very early day. 
Mr. and Mrs. Snakenberg are the parents of two children: Roy; Dora, 
now deceased. Politically Mr. Snakenberg follows in the footsteps of his 
lamented father, and has acted with credit to himself as trustee for 
the mwnship for the past six years, and as road supervisor for a period cf 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 453 

four years, He has also served a number of terms as school director of 
his district. Fraternally he has allied himself to the organization known 
as the Woodmen of the World. He commands and receives the re- 
spect which is his due in his section of the county. 



WILLIAM H. SMITH. 

There are few men in the county more widely known than Air. 
Smith, a retired farmer of Richland. As a farmer, a business man, and 
a Civil war veteran, he has always maintained that integrity of char- 
acter and unwavering fidelity to purpose in life that command the re- 
spect of all who know him. He was born in Hancock county, Illinois, 
November 2, 1S37, and is the son of Hasadiah and Lydia (Ward) 
Smith. 

Hasadiah Smith, a man of sterling worth, was born in New Hamp- 
shire and at the early age of eight moved with his parents to Ashta- 
bula county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. With a bent toward 
mechanics, a trait which he may have inherited from his practical Eng- 
lish an... stry, he early obtained a knowledge of carpentry, which became 
very useful to him in later years. During the latter part of his resi- 
dence in Ohio lie married Lydia Ward, who was born in Connecticut. 
and when rather young moved with her parents to Ohio. She died 111 
Sigourney, Iowa, in 1851. By this marriage there were nine children, 
six of whom grew to maturity. William H. was the fourth child and 
the third son. Soon after his marriage, in the spring of 1837, Mr. 
Smith moved to a farm in Warren county. Illinois, where he engaged 
in agriculture, but soon afterward sold out. Later he moved to Wash- 
ington county, Iowa, and after a short residence went in 1844 to 



454 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Sigourney, where lie made his home for many years. Finding here a 
good opening for a carpenter he soon engaged in that work, and giving 
excellent satisfaction, he established for himself a good business. He 
also undertook the making and repairing of wagons, and. in this line 
worked up one of the most profitable industries in the city. He achieved 
fair success in both lines of business. He spent his last days in Indiana, 
and died there in 1861. 

William H. Smith was six years old when his parents left their 
Illinois home and came to Washington county, Iowa, and seven when 
they moved to Sigourney. It was in this city, where he remained until 
he was twenty years of age, that he mainly received his education and the 
training for his life work. He attended the common schools of the 
place and there developed habits of industry and exactness that so 
markedly characterized his later work. When twenty years of dgs he 
started out for himself in life, and in Clear Creek township took up 
farming. Deeply interested with the conviction that his services were 
required in the war, in August he enlisted in Company I. Fortieth 
Iowa Volunteer Infantry, for three years service, and went to the front 
as a private. He did some hard fighting in the long siege of Vicksburg, 
after which he was sent west of the Mississippi. He stood the hardships 
well and was never sick or wounded. When his term of enlistment ex- 
pired he received an honorable dismissal at Davenport, Iowa. Shortly be- 
fore .the war, October 11, i860, he married Eunice A. Anderson, who 
was born in Miami county, Ohio, December 21, 1838. the third child 
of J. D. and Hannah (Larue) Anderson, and who at the age of 
eighteen moved with her parents to Iowa. Her father was a native of 
Berks county, Pennsylvania, and her mother of Virginia. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Smith have been born four children : Edward, a farmer in the town- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 455 

ship of Richland: Jesse W. ; Ella, who married John Brolliar, and re- 
sides in Richland; and Bert, who was the 3rd of the family, is now 
deceased. 

After the war Mr. Smith resumed farming in Clear Creek township, 
but in 1867 removed to Richland township, and there farmed, and 
resided up to January, 1892, when he removed to Richland and retired 
from active work. lie has done, however, exceptionally well with his 
farming and now owns a large amount of stock in the Union State 
Bank, and also a splendid one hundred and sixty acre farm in Jefferson 
county. Air. Smith's remarkable executive ability, and wise business 
management has commended him to the confidence of the people and 
he has served very efficiently for some time as justice of the peace and 
as trustee. In fraternal circles he is well known and highly esteemed. 
As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Charlton post. No. 143, 
lie has served on important committees for many years, and he belongs 
to Richland Lodge. Xo. 38. Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is 
thoroughly well known throughout the county, where he has many 
warm friends. In politics he is an influential Republican. 

ALFRED FARXCO BRIDGKR. 

There are few men one will Lie privileged to meet in a life 
time who are favored with the indefatigable purpose and unre- 
mitting effort such as has been displayed and is possessed by 
the subject of this brief sketch, who in the face of seemingly 
insurmountable barriers has achieved a success that is creditable 
in every respect. Air. Bridger is at the present time the popu- 
lar and oblierinsf cashier of the Union State Bank of Richland, in 



456 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

which community he has been for years a leader in business affairs. 
Of just what particular state Mr. Bridger is a native, it would be diffi- 
cult to decide, as he was born on the Mississippi river in a steamboat, his 
parents being enroute for Iowa. The date was November 16, 1853. His 
mother died about three weeks subsequent to his birth, and she was 
hurried at Keokuk, Iowa. The father and child proceeded to Keokuk 
county, and later the father settled in the town of Richland, where Alfred 
w r as reared by Mrs. Jeannette Garretson, who proved an excellent and 
loving foster-mother to him in his earlier youth. He was adopted into 
this family up to the age of thirteen, when he was allowed to choose 
his own guardian. When only twelve years of age he crossed the great 
plains, driving a team there and back in the same year. As he came 
to manhood he began business as a clerk in different mercantile establish- 
ments and held positions in the towns of Fairfield, Ottumwa, and Mount 
Pleasant. During this period he accumulated a fund of experience 
which served him excellently in his later business ventures. The first line 
of business in which he was interested on his own account was that of 
harness and saddlery, which he established in 1882 at Richland, and 
which he continued with success up to the year 1890, at which date he 
sold out and became connected with the banking business in Richland, 
having been selected as cashier of what was then known as the John 
Stroup Bank. For four years he continued in this position, when in com- 
pany with other gentlemen under the firm name of Bridger, Johnson 
and Company, our subject organized a private banking business, which 
was later, 1896, merged into the Union State Bank of Richland. At 
that time Mr. Bridger was made cashier of the institution, which posi- 
tion he continues to hold. The president of the bank is Mr. C. O. 
Keiser, of Keota. The bank' carries a capital stock of twenty-five thou- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 457 

sand dollars, having a working surplus of seven thousand dollars. Mr. 
Bridger is alscfc prominently identified with other business interests of 
the city, being president of the Richland Telephone Company, which 
operates the telephone system of Richland. 

In 1880 Mr. Bridger was happily married to Miss Ida Stroup, a 
lady who was born in the county, the daughter of a prominent financier 
and capitalist, Mr. John Stroup, who was one of the pioneer settlers of 
the county. Mrs. Bridger is a lady of fine education and many accom- 
plishments, having finished her literary training at the noted institu- 
tion of learning at Battle Creek, Michigan. To the marriage were 
born four interesting children, two sons and two daughters : Harnett, 
who is now assistant cashier of the Union State Bank ; Leo ; Farnco and 
Helen, who are young people at home. In fraternal affiliation Mr. 
Bridger is a worthy member of the Masonic order, being a member of 
Richland Lodge, No. 38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and being 
a member of Bethlehem Commandery at Washington, Iowa, and a 
Shriner with membership in Kaaba Temple ai Davenport. He has been 
very active in Masonic work and has filled all the chairs of the blue 
lodge. He is also an active and efficient member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows, No. 32, Cossuth Lodge. He has taken an 
active and intelligent interest in the political life of his community, be- 
ing one of the staunch supporters of the Republican principles. He has 
been honored by the party in different local offices of his community, 
having served terms in the city council, as justice of the peace and as 
township clerk. 

Mr. Bridger is one of the substantial citizens of the county, who 
merits the high esteem in which he is held by all of his fellow-citizens. 



458 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

J. CAMPBELL STOCKMAN. 

J. Campbell Stockman is a well and favorably known citizen of 
Keokuk county and now in the evening is living- a retired life in the town 
of Richland. Philip Stockman, his father, was born in 1799 in West- 
moreland county, Pennsylvania, and learned the trade of miller, coming 
to Ohio when he was twenty-one years old. There he engaged in his 
trade and also was a merchant. In 1851, when living in Harrison county, 
Ohio, he made a prospecting trip to Illinois, and on his return home 
stopped in Auburn, Indiana, to visit a son living there, and there, took 
sick and died. The family were all Pennsylvania Dutch in origin. The 
mother of our subject was Sarah Drummond, a native of Pennsylvania, 
born in 1802, of Irish descent, and she was married to Mr. Stockman in 
Ohio. She lived to be eighty-three years of age. She was the mother 
of eight children, of whom seven grew to maturity, only three now 
living, as follows: Elizabeth A. Briwster, of Ohio; Harrison, of Mis- 
souri ; and the subject of this review. 

J. C. Stockman, the third surviving child, was the fourth child and 
third son of the above family and was born in Belmont county, Ohio, 
March 1, 1830. In 1857 he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, where he 
conducted a farm until 1866, when he engaged in the hotel business in 
Richland for four years. Going back to the country he once more en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits until 1883, when he sold out and was post- 
master of Richland for four years. In 1859 he was an unsuccessful Re- 
publican candidate for county treasurer. He continued to vote the Re- 
publican ticket up to 1S72, when lie voted for Greeley. Thereafter he 
voted the Democratic ticket up to 1896, when he voted for Palmer and 
Buckner on the National Democratic ticket. Since then he has taken no 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 459 

active part in politics, not even voting. h\ 1876 he was the unsuccess- 
ful Democratic candidate for county clerk, and two years later made 
an unsuccessful race for member of county board of supervisors on the 
Democratic ticket. 

Mr. Stockman's marriage occurred in October, 1854, to Mary A. 
Waggoner, a native of Coshocton county, Ohio. The following children 
were born to the marriage: John L., who died in boyhood; David T.. 
now a prominent attorney of Sigourney; Jasper, who died when young; 
Emma, the wife of A. C. Brady; Jessie Frances, who married Marvin 
Logan and died aged twenty-eight years; Alary, the wife of J. D. Richer; 
Ida, the wife of David Jones; Lizzie, died aged two years; James 
\\ illiam, a physician ; and twins, who died in infancy. Mr. Stockman, 
although prominent in many affairs of his city and county, belongs to 
no order or church, lie is well known and respected throughout his 
county and now in his seventy-second year looks back on a life of 
well directed efforts. 



J. D. WILLIAMS. 

One of the prominent citizens of Richland, Keokuk county, Iowa, 
who has done much toward advancing the interests of the town, is 
J. D. Williams, who is now mayor of the town. His father was Edward 
Williams, who was born in Xew York of Welsh descent and at a very 
early age came to Illinois, soon removing to Iowa. By occupation he 
was a farmer, and now lives in Louisa county, Iowa. His wife was 
Lydia Dodder, who is a native of Xew Jersey and is still living. They 
were the parents of one child. 

Our subject was born in Louisa county. Iowa. August 3, 1861, began 



460 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

his education in the common schools, and later attended the Eastern Iowa 
Normal. For about three years thereafter, he was clerk in a store, then 
had a very pleasant clerkship in a store in Jefferson county, Iowa, and in 
1884 he came to Richland, where he was manager of a general store for 
Mr. Swayze. He held this place until 1893, when he bought out the 
store and entered the clothing business. In 1888 he married Mary 
Swayze, the daughter of Dr. H. A. Swayze, and they are the parents of 
three children, Cedric S., Eloisa. and an unnamed infant. 

Air. Williams was prominent in different local offices for nine years, 
is now serving his fourth year as mayor of Richland, and is a member 
of the county central Republican committee. He is a prominent member 
of Richland Lodge Xo. 38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and has 
been secretary of the Richland Land and Improvement Company since it 
was organized in 1895. In company with nine other men he bought the 
Wasson farm near the town of Richland and laying it out in lots made 
it an addition of the town, now an admirable portion of the town. In 
1897 Mr. Williams built one of the finest residences of the town. He fills 
his office very energetically, being always on the lookout for some op- 
portunity to advance the interests of the town of which he has been elected 
head. 

JOHN O. KEEP. 

Among the farmers of Keokuk county who after years of close 
connection with the business interests of this portion of the state are 
now living retired, is numbered John O. Keep, who was born in Erie 
county, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of August, 1840, but sought in the 
west the business opportunities which have enabled him to attain to a 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 46,3 

position of affluence. His father, Marcena Keep, was also born in the 
Keystone state and there spent his early childhood. He followed 
the occupation of farming and in 1823 was united in marriage, in 
Pennsylvania, to Polly Hewitt, a native of one of the New England 
states. They became the parents of eleven children, nine sons and 
two daughters, as follows: Abner N. ; Oliver D., deceased: Prosper J.. 
who has also passed away: Amos K. deceased: Asa II.; Reuben F. , 
Sally L. ; Alsinus, deceasad; John O., of Ibis review: Olive R., and 
Edmund E. The father of this family passed away in Pennsylvania 
on the 7th of August. 1S76, at the age of seventy-four years. He was 
a stalwart supporter of the Republican party and at one time held mem- 
bership in the Methodist Episcopal church, while later he became iden- 
tified with the Wesleyan Methodist church. Subsequently, however, 
he returned to the denomination with which, he was first identified. 
He ever lived an earnest, Christian life and commanded the respect of 
his fellow men by his fairness, justice and loyalty to truth. 

John O. Keep was reared in Pennsylvania, where he remained 
until April, 1861, and then sought a home in the Mississippi valley, 
making his way to LaSalle county, Illinois. On the 23d of the same 
month he offered his services to the government, responding almost im- 
mediately to his country's call for troops after the fall of Fort Sum- 
ter. This company, however, was disbanded and he later enlisted on 
the 1st of June. 1S61, as a member of Company H. Twentieth Illinois 
Infantry, serving with his regiment until the battle of Fort Donaldson, 
where he was wounded and taken to the hospital. Being disabled for 
further field service, he was mustered out on the 22d of July, 1862. 

After his discharge Mr. Keen returned to Illinois, where he re- 
mained for a short time, and then went back to Pennsylvania, where 



4o4 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

on the 8th of November, 1862, he was married. He then brought his 
bride to Iowa, taking up his abode in Keokuk county. He has lived 
in various localities in this part of the state and in the spring of 1864 
he settled upon the farm where he now makes his home, it having 
been his place of residence for thirty-eight years. The lady who 
hears his name was in her maidenhood Miss Amelia A. Stoddard, a 
native of Pennsylvania. Three children, a son and two daughters, 
were horn unto them: Inez M., who died in infancy; Xellie B., the 
wife 1 if George Skidmore; and Richard O. 

Mr. Keep has always been a staunch advocate of the Republican 
part_\- since its organization, and keeps well informed on the issues 
and questions of the day. He is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal church of Springfield, and his life has ever been in consistent 
harmony with his professions. Both he and his wife enjoy the highest 
regard of all who know them. Having long resided in Keokuk county, 
they have a very wide acquaintance here. Mr, Keep has always carried 
on agricultural pursuits as a source of livelihood, and his farm, neat 
and attractive in appearance, indicates the careful supervision of the 
progressive owner. He is now largely leaving its cultivation to others 
while he is enjoying a well-merited rest. 

LAFAYETTE BROLL1AR. 

Mr. Brolliar is a well known mill owner and grain shipper, of Rich- 
land. He has made his own way in life, and is especially d'- erving of 
credit. Coming here in the early days when business was brisk, he did 
not shun any work which chanced to fall to him. Especially as a 
mill-wright and a carpenter he found demand for his services and found 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 465 

profitable employment. He has also engaged in farming with fair 
results. Mr. Brolliar comes of a highly respected German family, and 
one distinguished by its industry and enterprise. His grandfather. Chris- 
tian Brolliar, was of a well known Dunkard family, and was born and 
reared in Germany. At an early date he came to this country and settled 
in Pennsylvania, where he resided for many years. A bard working 
man all his life, he won for himself a comfortable competence. 

Christian Brolliar. son of Christian and father of Lafayette, early 
caught the pioneer spirit and took a leading part in the building up 
and settling of the middle west. Born in Pennsylvania, he spent his 
earl_\- days in that state. As a wise provision for the future in his youth 
he learned the trades of a carpenter and a mill-wright, at which he in 
time became very proficient. Perceiving a good opening for him and his 
crafts in the newly settled districts of Ohio, in his young manhood he 
went there and located in Knox county. Here he found plenty of work 
and commanded good wages. After some time he erected a mill of his 
own near Ankenytown, and there engaged in the milling business. The 
industry proved a profitable one and be continued it for some years. In 
1844, impressed with the excellent business openings in the new territory 
of Iowa, which was being so rapidly settled at that time, he disposed of 
his Ohio property and came to Keokuk county. Settling upon a place 
about two and one-half miles west of the town of Richland, be proceed- 
ed to make the acquaintance of the new section. After two years, how- 
ever, his career was cut short by an early death, which occurred at the 
age of sixty. During his early manhood, while still living in Pennsyl- 
vania, be married .Mary Brant, who was born in Pennsylvania and 
was of German descent, coming of a highly respectable Dunkard family. 
She was a exeat assistance to her husband in bis different undertakings; 






466 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

she died at the advanced age of eighty-two. By this marriage there were 
thirteen children, of whom Lafayette was the eleventh. One died in 
infancy; the others grew to maturity. As an able business man and 
one of marked integrity Mr. Brolliar commanded the respect of all who 
knew him. H was a substantial member of the German Baptist church, 
and took a leading part in its various activities. 

Lafayette Brolliar was born in Ankenytown, Knox county, Ohio, 
May 18, 1834, and received part of his early rearing and education in 
that state. At the age of eleven years he moved with his parents to 
Keokuk county, Iowa, where in the little log building of the neighbor- 
hood he finished his schooling. Though his educational advantages were 
limited, in the crude pioneer schools lie nevertheless was trained to 
habits of self-reliance, industry and alertness, which mark so prominently 
his mature manhood. He remained under the sheltering influence of his 
parental home until he attained his majority, but previous to this, in 
fact at the early age of fourteen, took up for himself life's active duties. 
Having inherited a knack for handicrafts, and from his childhood been 
familiar with his father's trades, carpentry and the work of a mill-wright, 
he followed these in his own township, which was being so rapidly built 
up. Displaying skill, he assisted many a farmer in the erection of his 
first frame house or cabin. Later he was enabled to secure work in 
more pretentious towns and 'villages, and during his young manhood 
worked steadily for some time at erecting dwellings and mills in Dallas 
and Guthrie counties. He married Emily J. Wayman, who was born 
and reared in Seneca county, Ohio, and they have had ten children : 
Eber; Ella, the wife of Alonzo Wade: Delia, who married Jesse Spur- 
geon ; Sherman is now deceased; John has 'been married to Ella Smith, 
daughter of W. H. Smith; Anna, now Mrs. Hedge, who resides in Oska- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 467 

loosa; Sada is the seventh child; Nina has married Bert Nason, of Ollie; 
Tima, to Fred Duke, of Richland; Jennie, married Curtis Remil. 

As a skilled workman Air. Brolliar spent considerable time during 
his younger days as a mill-wright, and many mills in southern Iowa 
still stand as evidences of his proficiency as a builder. Besides working 
at his trades he has for some years engaged in farming, and about the 
time of his marriage located on a place west of Richland, where he 
carried on agriculture with marked success for five years. Later he 
moved to a farm in Jackson township, which he worked with even better 
results for about eleven years. Then he moved to Richland, where he 
has since resided. Throughout his mature life he has been engaged 
more or less in milling, and after coming to Richland he has turned his 
main attention to this .industry. He purchased in 1900 his present 
large grist-mill. He is also interested in a grain elevator at 
Woolson. Mr. Brolliar has ever evinced a keen interest in things 
pertaining to the good of the county and is counted upon as one of the 
public spirited men. Always true to his convictions he is independent 
in politics. A man of decided opinions, forceful and energetic, he com- 
mands the respect of all who know him. 



DAYTON GREESON. 

Dayton Greeson, a wealthy citizen of Richland, now living in 
retirement at his handsome residence, which he erected in 1002. has 
made his money in the stock-raising business, and the profitable agri- 
cultural industry of his county. Coming here in the early days, when 
quite young, he grew up with the country, and becoming well acquainted 
in the vicinity, secured in his voung manhood some of the best land in 



468 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the market. Here he made his home and his fortune. He was bom in 
Morgan county, Indiana, September 25. 1845, aill -l ^ s tne s " n of Levi and 
Louisa (May) Greeson. 

His grandfather, George Greeson, was of German descent, but was 
born and reared in North Carolina, and there upon reaching manhood he 
married. He resided in this state for some time after his marriage, but 
later moved to Indiana. By occupation he was a farmer, and very success- 
ful in his line. Levi Greeson, father of Dayton, possessed the energy 
and force of character which eminently fitted him for pioneer lite, and 
in Keokuk count}', which in the early days he took a hand in opening 
to settlers, he was favorably known and long remembered. Born in North 
Carolina, he was but nine years old when his parents moved to Indiana. 
It was in this new country that he was mainly reared and educated. 
Here in Morgan county upon reaching manhood he married Louisa 
May, who was born in North Carolina, daughter of George Daniel May, 
also born in North Carolina, who in later life became a pioneer settler 
of Keokuk count}', Iowa. Mrs. Greeson was of German descent. She 
died m Keokuk county. To her and her husband were born six child- 
ren, four daughters and two sons; four are now living. Soon after 
his marriage, in 1S48, Mr. Greeson came to Iowa and in Keokuk county 
purchased forty acres of good land and settled down as a farmer. He 
made many improvements on his property, and in time it became very 
valuable. He lived to the age of sixty-seven years. As a man of influ- 
ence in the new settlement, he took an active interest in public affairs, 
and served very efficiently as trustee of his township for some time. 
He belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church, where he was a zealous 
worker. 

Dayton Greeson, being but three years old when his parents settled in 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 46') 

the township of Richland, Keokuk county, was mainly reared in that vi- 
cinity. Here, in the little log schoolhouse, which stood one and one-half 
miles east of Richland, and in the schools of Richland he received his 
education, which has served him well for all practical business pur- 
poses. For some time after leaving" school he assisted his father on 
the home place. Then, March 8, 1868. he married Eliza Greenlee, who 
was born in Clear Creek township, Keokuk county, Iowa, August 27, 
1848, youngest of the seven children of John and Nancy (Blue) Green- 
lee. Like her husband she was reared in the county, and received her 
education in one of the log schoolhouses. To Mr. and Mrs. Greeson 
have been born ten children, six living and four dead: Grant, who has 
never married and lives at home; John L., who married Harriet Sellars, 
a livery man in Richland; Martin Levi, who married Cora Mitts, and is 
engaged in farming on the home place; William, also a farmer, married 
Mollie O. Swalt; Lulu, who has never married and lives at home; 
Frankie, who also lives at home; and the following are deceased: Har- 
ry; Wayte G. : Mary II. ; and one child who died in infancy. 

Soon after his marriage Mr. Greeson settled upon a farm four miles 
north of the town of Richland, where he engaged in farming very suc- 
cessfully for seven years. Then finding a more desirable location one 
and one-half miles north of the village, he purchased it and moved there. 
Here he spent the best years of his life. Having by this time accumu- 
lated some wealth he erected, in 1883. a substantial house and barn at 
tire cost of about five thousand dollars. Here he began stock raisin-', and 
in 1889 undertook the breeding of short-horn cattle. Of these he made 
a specialty for some years, and shipping them to eastern markets. 
secured good prices. Keeping himself well informed upon everything 
pertaining to stock raising, he met with few. if any, drawbacks in his 



470 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

business and realized from it in time immense profits. Having from time 
to time made new land purchases he now owns four hundred acres of the 
best laud in Richland township. 

For over fifty-four years Mr. Greeson has been a resident of the 
county, and having kept steadily on the rising plane through life, he 
has won the confidence and respect of his community at large. He has 
achieved success in life mainly by confining his efforts to one partic- 
ular field of labor. 

Air. and Mrs. Greeson are members of the Methodist church, and in 
politics he is a staunch Republican. 



A. C. BRADY. 

It is ever a pleasure to note the vicissitudes of one who has wrought 
his way under difficulties, and without the usual advantages for suc- 
cess in the branch of human endeavor which may have elicited his 
interest. Conspicuous among the self-made men of Keokuk county is 
the man whose name heads this review. He is at the present time the 
leading dry goods merchant of the town of Richland. The birth of Mr. 
Brady occurred in the Buckeye state, where he was born in Belmont 
county, February 8, 1858. T. F. Brady, his father, was a native of the 
same county; here he grew to manhood and engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits until 1869, when he removed to Iowa, and settled with his family 
:*i Pleasantplain ; his father before him was a native Irishman. On the 
mother's side our subject is also of Buckeye stock, her maiden name hav- 
ing been Margaret Tracy. She was born and reared in Belmont county 
and i.> still living at an advanced age. She is the mother of four sons, 
all of whom are living. Albert C., lives in Jefferson county, where he 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 471 

is a prominent farmer; our subject is the second son; William A., of 
Richland; John M. is in the employ of the government at Washington, 
I). C. 

Of this family Mr. Brady, our subject, is the second child, and was 
a lad of ten years of age when the family came to Iowa. He received 
his education in the common schools, it being supplemented by a course 
at the Pleasantplain Academy. His first business venture was as a dealer 
in eggs and produce throughout the country. In 1883 he located in 
Richland, and in connection with his brother, W. A., established the 
present dry goods business. This firm continued to do business until 
US95, when W". A. sold his interest to D. J. Jones, since which time the 
style of the firm has been Brady and Jones. In connection with this 
dry goods business, Mr. Brady is also interested in connections with his 
brother, W. A., in a wool business. They are the largest buyers in the 
county, and have been instrumental in encouraging the sheep business 
• ■) this part of [owa. Another business connection of our subject is as 
a director in the Union State Bank of Richland. He is also one of the 
proprietors of the Richland Telephone Company. 

He married in 1884. in Keokuk county. Miss Emma Stockman, the 
daughter of J. C. and and Alary A. Stockman, of Richland. To 
this marriage were born four children: Mildred; Louise and Lucile, 
twins; Alonzo C, Jr.; all of whom are young people at home. In fra- 
ternal affiliations Mr. Brady is a Knight Templar Mason, belonging to 
the commandery at Washington. Iowa. He is a shriner of Kaaba Tem- 
ple, Davenport. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows, and he and his family are esteemed members of the Methodist 
church. In matters of politics Mr. Brady supports the policies of the 
Republican party, and takes an active interest in the civil life of his 



472 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

community, having held some of the offices of trust connected with the 
city organization. Mr. and Mrs. Brady and their interesting family arc 
In inured and highly respected citizens of their community. Mr. Brady's 
business transactions have been attended with a high degree of success, 
which may be ascribed to his close application and to his untiring 
industry. 

WESLEY W. ALLEN. 

It is altogether fitting that the interests of Uncle Sam should be en- 
trusted to a member of the old soldier fraternity, for none will guard 
those interests more carefully than he who spent time and energy in the 
successful effort to maintain unbroken the Constitution of our fathers. 
The matter of reward for services thus rendered is a perfectly proper 
consideration for the appointing power, and should have great weight; 
hut the man whose loyalty prompted him to leave home'and family and 
friends in i So i in save the government from destruction will indubitably 
prove to he a safe conserver of the interest of that government in any 
particular department. There is a goodly number of the "boys in blue" 
in Keokuk county, though their ranks are fast being decimated by the 
great destroyer. They are a noble band of men, and of their number 
is the gentleman whose name forms a caption for this paragraph, and 
who has been for the past five years the efficient postmaster of the town 
of Richland. 

Air. Allen is one of the old residents of the county, and was born 
in the state of North Carolina, December 7. 1839. His father, Teter 
Allen, was a native of the same state and was by occupation a carpenter. 
He died at the comparatively early age of thirty years, when our lion- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 473 

oral subject was six years of age. The family are of Scotch origin 
and had lived in North Carolina for generations. On the maternal side 
the mother, Rebecca Hadley, was also a native of North Carolina. In 
May of 1846 she. with her family of four children, came to Iowa and 
located in Richland township. She was later joined in marriage to a 
prominent farmer of the township, Mr. John Mills, and became the 
mother of three other, children. She died at the age of about sixty-six 
years in the state of Kansas, where she had removed with her husband. 
Mr. Allen is the eldest of the first family of children, and was about 
seven years of age when he came to Keokuk county, where he passed 
his entire life time. His later youth was passed in the home of his 
grandfather, he remaining there until he was nineteen years of age. At 
that date the Civil war was in progress, and his inherent patriotism 
prompted him to offer his services to the government. He enlisted in 
Company F, Thirty-third Iowa Infantry and for three long years was 
found at his post of duty as a private soldier during the first part of 
his service, and later he received appointment as second corporal, in 
which position he served until his discharge at the close of the war. 
His service was mostly in the west, where he participated with his regi- 
ment in most of the principal engagements. He received his honorable 
discharge at Davenport, Iowa, and returned to his home to take up the 
occupations of peace. He began farming for himself in 1866, when 
he went to Miami county, Kansas. Here he remained for a period of 
five rears, engaged in agricultural pursuits successfully, hut concluding 
that Keokuk county was a better field for operations, he returned and set- 
tled in Richland township. He bought a farm in Richland township 
and cultivated it for some three years, when he sold out and moved to 
the town of Richland and engaged in the insurance business. Mr. Mien 



474 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

has continued to be a citizen of Richland since that time, and has taken 
a very active part in the public life of the community. For eleven years 
he held the office of mayor, and in 1902 lie celebrated his twenty-eighth 
year as justice of the peace for the township in which Richland is 
located, he being the oldest officer in point of continuous service in that 
position within the bounds of the county. In 1807 n ' s standing in the 
community was such as to make it an easy matter for him to be ap- 
pointed postmaster, since which time lie has been an incumbent of that 
office. His genial disposition and obliging manner make him very popu- 
lar,, and the government finds in him a most efficient officer. 

Mr. Allen celebrated his marriage in December. 1866, the lady 
being Miss Mary Schelp, a native of the state of Maryland; she has 
borne our subject an interesting family of eight children: Emma, wife 
of John Goodman, a farmer of the county; Lydia, wife of Edward 
Hiatt, also a farmer ; Anna, a single lady, and one of the efficient and 
popular teachers of the county for the past twelve years ; Cora, wife of 
Vivian Byers, a farmer; Willis O., a farmer of the county; and M. 
Grace, a single lady, who is her father's assistant in the office; John W., 
also assistant postmaster, Richland, is the youngest. One of the children 
died in infancy. The social nature of Mr. Allen has made him a very 
popular and worthy member of several of the fraternities of his town. 
the one in which he takes the greatest interest, possibly, being that noble 
organization, the Grand Army of the Republic Post No. 239, in which he 
lias been honored with election to all of the chairs. He is also a mem- 
ber of the Modern Woodmen of America. It is unnecessary to state 
that he is a stalwart in his support of Republican principles, in which 
organization he is considered a safe counselor. The authors of this 
volume take pleasure in presenting so honorable a citizen for the con- 



Genealogical and Biographical history. 475 

sideration of its readers. Mr. Allen is a gentleman who has by dint of 
his own exertions raised himself to an honored position in the commun- 
ity. His educational advantages were small, but what was lacking in 
opportunity he made up in diligence and application, and having a natur- 
ally observant mind has become a very well informed man. From the 
courageous boy without education or capital, he has risen to be a busi- 
ness man of affluence in the community. He receives the good wishes 
of all, and merits the trust imposed in him, and by his upright life in 
whatever capacity he is called to move, sets forth a fine example for 
the rising generation. 



DAVID P. LEWIS. 

There is no class of citizens who deserve more from society than 
the farming element. The man who passes an entire life time in the cul- 
tivation of the soil ought to have a right to expect that at three-score 
he can lay down the implements with which he has been employed and 
take his deserved rest. There has been no time in the history of agricul- 
ture in the state of Iowa when honest, persistent labor with a fair amount 
of executive ability should not have produced a competency in that 
period. This fact has been demonstrated by the honored gentleman 
whose name initiates this paragraph, and who is now a retired farmer 
living in the city of Hedrick. 

Mr. Lewis is a native of the Hoosier state, born in Ripley county, 
March 30, 1830. William Lewis, his father, was a native of the state 
of North Carolina, and was a farmer by occupation, removing to Indiana 
some time subsequent to his marriage. He settled on a farm entered 
from the government, where most of his family were reared to maturity. 



476 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and where he died. His wife's name was Alary Mitchler. also a na- 
tive of North Carolina. They became the parents of thirteen children, 
of which our subject was the sixth son and the tenth child. The names 
of the children are as follows, only two of them now living: Abigail, 
Jacob, Elizabeth, Katherine, Daniel, John, Amelia, Samuel, Mathias, 
David P., the subject of this sketch: Polly E., William S., and Mary 
M. The youngest and our subject are the only known living members. 
The father of the family was a devout member of the Methodist church, 
and a worth}- citizen of the county in which he passed his life. In 
politics he voted with the Democratic party. 

Mr. David P. Lewis, the honored subject "f this sketch, passed his 
early youth and boyhood in the severe labor of farm life in the Hoosier 
state, receiving a limited education in the few months of winter school, 
lie remained at home until he was nineteen years old, marrying at that 
eaily age Mahala Allen. This lady was born in the Hoosier state in 1833 
and was the daughter of Meriet and Elizabeth (Robinson) Allen. The 
Aliens were natives of the Blue-grass state, and later were early pioneers 
in Keokuk county. Mr. Lewis and his wife were the parents of fifteen 
children, eight boys and seven girls, as follows: Martha Jane, deceased: 
William M., deceased: John A.: Mary E. ; Jacob P.; Johnson; Susana, 
deceased; David, deceased; Marguerita : Samuel; George, deceased; 
Kathetine; Emma; Charles: Annabell. All of these children except Ja- 
cob were born and reared in Keokuk county. The year following his 
mairiage Mr. Lewis joined the tide of emigration that had set in for 
the west, and came to Keokuk county, where he settled in Jackson town- 
ship. The year of this settlement was 1850 He rented different farms 
for a period of years, and passed one year in farming in the state 
i .1' Missouri. He finally returned to Keokuk county, however, and pur- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. -477 

chased a farm of forty acres m Jackson township. To this original farm 
he added different bodies, continuing the cultivation and improvement 
of it until he became a large land owner. He had also other farms in 
different sections of the county. He retired from active life on the farm 
in 1895. He continued to live on his farm until 1897, when he moved to 
the town of Hedrick, and in the following year built himself a tast_\ resi- 
dence, in which he expects to pass the remainder of his days. In political 
belief Mr. Lewis is a Jacksonian Democrat, though he satisfies himself 
in political matters by simply depositing his vote, never having held any 
office. He is very generally and favorably known all over the county 
by reason of his long residence and the worthy life which he has lived 
among his fellow citizens, lie is a man of staunch principles and of 
great integrity of character, and merits the good wishes of a large num- 
ber of friends and acquaintances. 

CLAIBORNE JACKSON NUGENT. 

Among the honored residents of Keokuk county fur the past five de- 
cades is the honored gentleman whose name precedes this paragraph, 
and who resides on section 24 in Steady Run township, he having 
passed his eightieth milestone. Mr. Nugent is one of the most sub- 
stantial citizens of the county, both in sterling qualities of citizenship 
and in financial standing. He is in the best sense of the term a "self- 
made man." having by a life of ceaseless energy and unexampled toil risen 
from a condition of comparative penury to one of easy affluence. He 
has retired from the active management of the farm, and is passing his 
remaining davs in the enjoyment of the results of his earlier labor. 

As stated, Mr. Nugent. is one of the pioneers of Keokuk county, he 



478 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

having settled here in 1853. He was bom in the Hoosier state, where 
he first saw the light in Clark county on the 24th of September, 1818. 
He was the son of John R. Nugent, a native of Nelson countv, Kentucky. 
Here his father passed his early youth and married, and from thence 
settled in Clark county, Indiana, where he engaged in agricultural 
pursuits during the remainder of his life time. He was the father of 
seven sons and six (.laughters, all of whom grew to maturity, married 
and reared families. On the maternal side of our honored subject's 
family, Mary O. Connors, his mother, was also a native of the Bourbon 
state, and of Nelson county, where her father, Richard Connor, was one 
of the early settlers and a large land owner. It is related of him that 
he gave away large tracts of land in order to induce the settlement of 
neighbors in his vicinity. 

Our subject was the fifth child of a family of thirteen. He was 
reared in his native county in the Hoosier state. He remained in that 
state until he was thirty-five years of age, when he came to Iowa. His 
first purchase of real estate in Keokuk county was of Mr. Richard Miller. 
consisting of a tract of one hundred and eighty acres, the land upon 
which he now resides, and for which he paid one thousand dollars. 
There were no improvements on this land, except the single house of 
two rooms. He continued to cultivate this farm, and as he prospered 
added other tracts to it until he had the present holding of six hundred 
and eighty acres, highly improved, and with all the buildings necessary 
for the conduct of a large ranch. This was not done without the most 
severe labor and the greatest of economy. Mr. Nugent entered the 
married state in Clark county. Indiana, in the year which marked his 
coming to Iowa, when he was joined to Miss Susana Lister, a lady of 
English extraction, but a native of the same county as our subject. Her 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 47<) 

birth occurred in [826, on the 21st of February. She died May 26. 1902. 
Mrs. Nugent was a most estimable lady, and had proved to her husband 
a most faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey, her sound 
advice and assistance having been important factors in his prosperity. 
She was buried amid a large concourse of mourning friends and neigh- 
bors at Mount Zion church in Steady Run township. She was the mother 
of three children, one of whom died in infancy; Mary Jane married 
Mr. A. D. Smith and now resides on the farm, where she takes loving 
care of her remaining parent; she is the mother of eight children, seven 
of them now living, as follows: Roscoe. Guy, Pauline, Andrew, Benson, 
I Ian ild. and Myra. The second daughter. Anna Eliza, is the wife of 
Mr. Frank Marshall, of Ollie. who is a prominent farmer and stock 
raiser: they have three children, of whom the eldest died in infancy, and 
the names of the other two are Raymond NT., and Claybourn R. 

As stated before, our honored subject started in life a comparatively 
poor boy, and has accumulated a very nice property. All of this has been 
done in legitimate farming and stock raising. He has a just pride in 
stating that he was the first man that paid forty-five dollars an acre 
for land in Steady Run township. He has been highly respected for his 
many good qualities during his residence in Keokuk county, and is a 
Republican of the old school, having got his Republican principles 
from the ild Whig part)', having cast his first vote for William Henry 
Harrison in 1840. He has voted for every Republican President since 
the organization of that party. He has held many of the local offices of 
the community in which he resides, the duties of which he administered 
with credit. He and his wife were life-long members of the Christian 
church. It is the modest boast of Mr. Nugent that he never defrauded 
any man of anything, and owes no man a single dollar. The sue- 



480 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

cess of Mr. Nugent in financial matters is well deserved, having always 
been faithful and industrious, continuing through hardships and discour- 
agements, and now in his riper years he can enjoy the fruit of his toil, 
being also favored with the confidence and esteem of his many friends 
and acquaintances. 



FRANCIS P. RICHARDSON. 

Among those upon whom has fallen the mantle of the worthy 
pioneers who have begun to pass to their reward in another scene, and 
who are in every way carrying on acceptably the work of the old veter- 
ans in developing and building up Keokuk county, stands high the 
gentleman whose name heads this paragraph, as a leader among the ranks 
of our signally enterprising and capable farmers. For fifty-seven years 
Mr. Richardson has gone in and out among the citizens of Keokuk 
county, and during that time has built for himself a reputation for up- 
rightness and probity. He it at the present time living on section 13. 
Steady Run township. The nativity of Mr. Richardson dates in Mc- 
Donough county, Illinois, the date being April 25, 1840. He is the 
son of Mr. Thomas Richardson and a brother of J. M. Richardson, of 
this county ; and under a sketch of the latter in this volume will be given 
the ancestral history of our subject. 

Francis Richardson is the fourth child and the third son of the 
family. He removed to Keokuk county with his parents in 1845. being 
at that time but five years of age. Settlement was made on the tract 
of land which he now cultivates, and where the primitive log house of 
that day was built, that interesting old relic of pioneer days still being- 
intact. Mr. Richardson's early life consisted in the hard work and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 481 

few pleasures which came to the boys of his time, but this experience 
grounded him well in the knowledge and principles which have made 
him a man of standing in his community. What hook education he 
received was obtained in the little log schoolhouse with its wide chim- 
ney and rough benches, three months in the winter season. He, how- 
ever, improved his opportunities and was able to secure such proficiency 
as has enabled him to carry on business acceptably during his life-time, 
lie remained at home until he was nineteen years of age, when he began 
a farming venture for himself. The only capital which he received, as 
Mr. Richardson puts it, "was the year and a half which my father gave 
me of my lime before I was twenty-one." He continued cultivating this 
land until 1S64, when, concluding that a little travel would broaden his 
views of life, he in company with Mr. Josiah Utterbach took a trip 
to the west, passing through Salt Lake City and on to Virginia City. 
They were engaged during the period of two years absence for the 
most part in the chopping of wood. They returned by way of Grey- 
town and Xew York City, having seen considerable of the world during 
their absence. Upon his return to his native county, our subject took 
up the trade of carpenter and cooper, at which he continued to work 
for several years, but finally returned to agricultural pursuits. He 
rented a farm in Steady Run township for some three years, and then 
purchased a tract of forty acres in the same township. This body of 
land he cultivated for the space of one year, when he sold out and en- 
gaged with his brother. J. M., in the mercantile business at Ioka. This 
business he pursued successfully for five years, when he sold out his in- 
terest to his brother and purchased the interest of the heirs in the old 
homestead. Here he removed with his family, and has since been en- 
gaged in farming and stock raising in that locality. He has a farm 



482 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

here of one hundred and eighty acres, which is highly improved, and 
furnished with all the buildings necessary for the successful conduct of a 
large stock ranch. In connection with his brother, B. F. Richardson, he- 
has since 1887 been interested in the operation of a mill in the town of 
Martinsburg. 

In November, 1868, Mr. Richardson married Miss Louisa C. Davis, 
a daughter of David and Lilly (Smith) Davis. Mrs. Richardson was 
born in the Hoosier state and came to Keokuk county with her parents 
when a child. She is the mother of four children. Xora. wife of J. C. 
Martin of Keithsburg, Illinois; Arthur; George, at Grinnell College 
Iowa; and Forest, at home. In political belief Mr. Richardson favors 
the principles of government advocated by Thomas Jefferson, 
and gives his vote to the support of candidates of the Dem- 
ocratic party. He has no desire to be bothered with the cares 
of office, the only one which he ever consented to accept 
being that of justice of the peace, which office he resigned after 
being elcted. Mr. Richardson is an honest, upright citizen, a man who 
is highly respected in the community in which he has passed his entire 
life-time, and we take pleasure in giving him representation among the 
worthy families of Keokuk county. 



MRS. MARY J. BOND. 

Among the early settlers of Keokuk county is numbered this lady, 
whose many friends will be glad to see the record of her life in this 
volume. She now resides on section 11, Richland township, where for 
many years she has made her home and since her husband's death she 
has superintended her farming interests. She was born in Jefferson 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 483 

county, in eastern Tennessee, January 3, 1838. Her father, Tames 
French, was a native of South Carolina, but was reared in eastern Ten- 
nessee and after arriving at years of maturity he married Miss Lucinda 
Sasseen, a native of Tennessee, whose parents were born in North Caro- 
lina and on their removal to the former state located in Jefferson county. 
The father of Mrs. Bond died when about sixty years of age, and his 
wife was about that age when called to her final rest. They were the 
parents of ten children, three sons and seven daughters, all of whom 
reached mature years. 

Mrs. Bond, the eldest of the family, spent her girlhood days in her 
parents' home, assisting in the duties of the household, so that she was 
well qualified to take charge of a home of her own at the time of her 
marriage. She remained a resident of her native county until 1856, 
when she removed to Adams county. Illinois, and in i860 she came to 
Keokuk county. Iowa, locating in Richland township, where she has since 
made her home. She was first married to John C. Alderson, a native of 
Jefferson county. Tennessee, who died in Illinois. Unto them were 
born four children : Sarah, now the wife of John Rudolph ; James, a resi- 
dent of Mills City, Montana; Emeline. who became the wife of Elisha 
Jones; and Lucy, the wife of Joseph W'hittaker, a resident of Albion, 
Iowa. After the death of her first husband, and following her removal 
to this county, Mrs. Alderson gave her hand in marriage to William 
Bond in 1869. 

Mr. Bond was born in eastern Tennessee in 1823 and in 1841 came 
to Keokuk county, Iowa, casting in his lot among the first settlers who 
succeeded the Indians as owners of the land. He was a valiant soldier 
of the Civil war, enlisting in 1862, as a member of Company K. 
Eighteenth Iowa Infantry, with which he remained for about a year. 



484 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

when he was honorably discharged on account of physical disability. He 
then returned home and resumed farming, which he followed continu- 
ously until his death. He was practical in his methods of farm work, 
was progressive and enterprising, and through the careful conduct of 
his business affairs he won a comfortable competence and was ranked 
among the well-to-do and leading agriculturists of the community. He 
was also a prominent member of the Grand Army of the Republic and 
was a member of the Friends church, his life being in harmony with 
the teachings of that church. He died February 22, 1892, and through- 
out the community his death was deeply mourned, because he had en- 
deared himself to many friends by his kindly, genial nature. 

Two children were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Bond. Asbury mar- 
ried Miriam Sasseen and resides with Mrs. Bond. Viola became the 
wife of Elsworth Fitch and died at the age of twenty-two years. In 
early life Mrs. Bond was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, 
but is now a member of the Friends church She is a most estimable 
lady, highly esteemed for her many excellent traits of heart and mind. 
For forty-two years she has been a resident oi this county and her mind 
is stored with many interesting incidents and reminiscences of the early 
days, which she relates in an entertaining manner. She has become quite 
widely known in her part of the county and well does she deserve men- 
tion in the history of the county which has so long been her home. 



DAVID JONES, M.D. 

David Jones, M. D., a prominent old settler of Richland township. 
Keokuk county. Iowa, was born in Blount county. Tennessee, October 
31, [829, and isa son of James and Rebecca (Morgan) Jones, the former 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 485 

■ 'I whom was born and reared near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thomas 
Jones, the grandfather of Dr. Jones, was born in Wales and came in boy- 
hood to America with his parents, who settled in Pennsylvania. This 
family lias been members of the Society of Friends for generations. 
James Jones was for a great main' years an elder and was a man of most 
estimable life, who died at the age of seventy years. He married Re- 
becca Morgan, whose great-grandfather accompanied William Penn on 
his second voyage to America an-! was one of Penn's admirers and sup- 
porters. Thomas Morgan, the maternal grandfather of Dr. Jones, was 
of English descent, a farmer by occupation, and a man of prominence and 
respectability. The mother died at the age of seventy-three years. The 
parents of Dr. Jones had six sons to -row to manhood and two daughters 
to reach maturity. 

Dr. Jones was the youngest son of his parents, and he was reared 
in the old home in Tennessee, and attended the local schools. Later 
he was sent to a boarding'-school at New Garden, North Carolina, which 
lias now been transformed into Guilford College. At the age of twen- 
ty years he began teaching and followed this profession in North Caro- 
lina and Tennessee, later becoming one of the instructors at Friends- 
ville Institute, in the latter state, which position he held for two years. 
In 1861 he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and began teaching at Pleas- 
antplain, in Jefferson county, continuing until 1873 and most acceptably 
iiiling positions both in town and country. During this time the young 
man had been studying medicine and in the fall of 1873 began practice 
in Richland, remaining active in this profession until 1898, when he re- 
tired. 

In 1852 Dr. Jones was married to Rebecca P. Jones, who is a daughter 
of James and Sarah (Smitzer) Jones, of Tennessee, and to this union 



486 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

was born a family of seven sons and one daughter, as follows : James 
M.; Elisha R. ; Francis A.; Mattie E., who married William A. Good- 
man; John L. ; Walter S. ; Benjamin C. ; and Joseph C. Dr. Jones is a 
leading member of the Society of Friends in this locality, and for more 
than twenty years has been an elder, in simplicity of life exemplifying 
the admirable principles he professes. In his early days he was a Whig 
in political sentiment, and is now a deeply interested Republican. Dr. 
Jones is one of the most highly respected citizens of Richland. 



JAMES WYLLIE 

I he Kind of bonnie Scotland has furnished many worthy sons and 
daughters who have found a place in this country and have been honored 
for their sterling honesty and faithfulness to duty, and it is now our 
pleasure to record a brief history of one of these. The father of our sub- 
ject, James Wyllie, was born in the good old county of Ayrshire, Scot- 
land, and after a successful life now lives retired in the enjoyment of the 
earnings of his younger days. His wife was Jane Pearcy, who died 
at the age of seventy years. They had five children; of four daughters, 
only one survives, residing in Scotland. 

James Wyllie was the only son and was born in his father's home 
in [854, the eldest of the family. Up to the age of twelve he enjoyed 
the advantage of the common schools, but then began working in the 
collieries. He followed this occupation until the year 188 1, when he 
came to America ; the first news that he learned on his arrival in New 
York was of the assassination of President Garfield. He came directly 
to Illinois, where he engaged in mining and there remained about three 
years. His services were then sought by the Granger Mining Company 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 487 

of What Cheer. Keokuk county, Iowa, to plan and establish the "long 
wall"' system of coal mining' and this he accomplished in about six 
months. The company retained his service ior about four years. He 
then rented a farm near What Cheer in Prairie township and worked it 
tor four years; he then took a farm in Van Buren township for one year. 
Then he bought a farm of eighty acres in the latter township. In 1896 
Mr. \\ yllie was appointed superintendent of the county poor farm, which 
position he still holds, and shows excellent management in conducting 
that important public institution. 

Among other business relations Mr. Wyllie is connected with poultry 
raising and he is an expert, having learned the business in the old coun- 
try. He is one of the Iowa state directors in the Poultry Association, 
and exhibits at all the poultry shows of the state, in 1891 winning the 
silver cup given by the Des Moines Poultry Company at Williamsburg; 
he had the ten highest scores in bantams, on which he also won a cup 
and a special prize on the highest scoring bird in the show. He is rec- 
ognized as a leader in this most interesting and profitable business. 

In 1873. while still living in Scotland. Mr. Wyllie married Jane Jen- 
nison Simpson, who was born March 24, 1855; the ceremoney was per- 
formed by James Murray, parish minister of Old Cummock. They have 
three children: James H., a leading attorney of Sigourney. Iowa: Rob- 
ert S., assistant steward on the county farm: and Jane, the wife of G. 
Paton, and they reside on her father's farm in Van Buren township. 
Mr. Wyllie has always taken an active interest in the affairs of the Re- 
publican party, and nothing pertaining to the welfare of his commun- 
ity lacks his support. 



488 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

DAVID HARMAN VOLTMER. 

One of the prominent farmers of Genua;' township, Keokuk county, 
Iowa, who is filling the position of township trustee and is une of the 
reliable and much esteemed citizens, is David Harman Voltmer. The 
birth of Mr. Voltmer occurred on his present farm on September 23, 
[864, and he is a son of David and Christina (Mohme) Voltmer, the 
former of whom was born in Hanover, Germany, and came to America 
in youth. In 1842 the elder David came to Keokuk county, Iowa, and 
took up land from the government and still resides upon a portion of it 
in German township. At one time he owned two whole sections, hut 
Ik- has retained a farm of two hundred acres only, selling a part and 
giving the rest to his children. From his marriage with Christina Moh- 
me, who was also horn in Germany and came to America at the age of 
six years, fourteen children were born, eleven of win mi grew to ma- 
turity, all being natives of Keokuk county. Mr. Voltmer is now in his 
eighty-eighth year, having been one of the pioneers here, his lug cabin 
being one of the first built in the township. 

David Harman Voltmer, the subject of this sketch, is the ninth child 
in order of birth and the sixth son of his parents' family, and was 
reared on the homestead and obtained his education in the public schools. 
On December 1, 1894, he was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Blaise, 
who is the daughter of Mathias and Margaret (Gergen) Blaise, who came 
to German township in its early clays of settlement; Mrs. Voltmer is the 
youngest of their seven children, was born in German township and 
was educated in the schools of the same. Their four children are: Pearl. 
Edward, Albert and Nellie. Immediately after marriage our subject and 
wife located on the part of the old homestead where they have since 
lived and here have a fine farm of eighty acres a very attractive and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 48" 

comfortable residence and surroundings which contribute very much to 
the enjoyment of life. Mr. Voltmer engages in general farming and 
cattle feeding and is an extensive stock raiser. 

Our subject is a Democrat in politics and has held a number of the 
local offices, being well qualified for such positions. Since 1899 ne ' ias 
been the efficient township trustee, and is regarded as one of the most 
reliable members of the community. He is a member of the order of 
Modern Brotherhood of America, of Sigourney. and is a well known. 
progressive and public spirited citizen. 



WILLIAM HINNAH. 
William Hinnah, one of the prominent old settlers of Keokuk coun- 
ty, Iowa, who resides on section 3, in German township, is one of the 
leading German-American citizens who have contributed so much to 
the development of this portion of the county. His birth was in Prus- 
sia, Germany, on October 6, 1834. where he was educated until the 
age of fourteen years. From school he entered into an apprenticeship 
to the mason trade, served his time and worked at this business until he 
was twentv-three years old, coining at that time to America. Reaching 
Pittsburg Pennsylvania, Mr. Hinnah secured farm work in the vicinity 
and remained there one year, but in 1858 made his way to Keokuk 
county, Iowa. For. the following three years he worked for his brother- 
in-law. Christian Seger, and then bought eighty acres in section 3, Ger- 
man township, and lived there for about twenty years, buying then his 
present fine farm, although at the time of purchase it was not the well 
improved and cultivated place we now see. In fact there was nothing 
there but a log house, and Mr. Hinnah found plenty to do. Not only 



490 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

did he erect new buildings, but lie also mended the roads, looked well to 
the fences and gave a tidy, thrifty appearance to his home, which makes 
it very attractive as well as enhances its value. Mr.« Hinnah owns a 
large tract of land, and has made it all by honest toil and economy since 
coming to Keokuk county in 1858. 

In 1800 our subject was married to Mary Brant, the widow of 
Frederick Mohla, and they are the parents of five living children, as 
follows: Emma, who is the wife of Christian Leichti, of Sigourney; 
Minnie, who is the wife of Gotlieb Klett, of Sigourney; Charles, who 
is a farmer in German township ; and Andrew and Anna, both of whom 
reside at home. The children who have passed away were named as 
follows : Henry, William. John, George. Amelia and an infant daughter 
Mr. Hinnah has reared his family well and has given them school ad- 
vantages. For forty-four years he has been a respected citizen of Ger- 
man township, and has always done his part in aiding enterprises which 
have been for the benefit of his neighborhood. In politics he is a Re- 
publican and one of the sensible, thinking men of the party. For a num- 
ber of years he has been a leading member of the Methodist church 
and is one of its trustees. In William Hinnah, German township has an 
excellent, self-respecting and public spirited citizen. 

HENRY PFANNEBECKER. 

Henry Pfannebecker, a prominent German-American citizen of 
Keokuk count)-. Iowa, who owns a fine farm in section 33, German town- 
ship, was horn in Germain-. January 26, 1824, and since 1854 has been 
an esteemed resident of Keokuk county. He was reared until his four- 
teenth year in his native country and there attended school. In 1845 he 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 491 

entered the German army and faithfully performed the duties of a de- 
fender of his land for the succeeding two years, taking active part in the 
battle of Baden; the whole of his term of service covered three and one- 
half years. Our subject belonged to the German cavalrymen, a branch 
of the army which is justly regarded by all nations as one of the most 
perfectly drilled and effective in the world. Although he served as a 
private, official rank was offered him on more than one occasion, but he 
refused to accept so much responsibility. 

In 1848 Mr. Pfannebecker came to America, landing at the port of 
Xew York, and soon after came as far west as Burlington, Iowa, where 
he was employed in a nursery by Mr. E. D. Rent, remaining with the 
latter for a period of six years. In 1854 he came to Keokuk county 
and bought a farm of eighty acres, paying three dollars an acre for the 
same, built a comfortable log house and immediatelv began the clearing 
of the land and later the most careful cultivation of it. During the 
progress of the Civil war, in 1863. he enlisted for service in Company 
K, Ninth Iowa Cavalry as a private, but soon was promoted to the rank 
of sergeant, serving faithfully until he was wounded while on guard, 
falling from his horse and being so seriously injured that he was hon- 
orably discharged at Davenport. Iowa. Upon his return to his home 
he began farming again in German township ynd has been well known as 
an excellent agriculturist and successful stock raiser for many years. 
Gradually he accumulated two hundred and fifty-five acres through thrift 
and industry, and has provided his sons with farms, still retaining, how- 
ever, eighty acres for himself. 

The marriage of our subject was in 1840, in Pennsylvania, to Eva 
Catherine Hoffman, who was born in Germany and reared there to wo- 
manhood. She passed out of life on February id, 1806, having been 



492 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

the beloved and devoted mother of seven children, namely : Jacob; Henry, 
deceased; Christian; Mary; Eva; Frederick; and Dr. William, a leading 
physician of Sigonrney. Mr. Pfannebecker is a stanch Republican and 
is a valued member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He has taken 
a prominent part in public matters since locating here, and few substan- 
tial improvements in his township have been made without his approval 
and assistance. No man in German township is held in higher regard 
as a reliable, honest and upright citizen. 



HENRY GROTHE. 

Father Henry Grothe, who is pastor of St. Elizabeth's church at 
Harper, Iowa, was born at West Point, in Lee county, this state, on the 
26th of December. 1863, and is the oldest of the seven children of Henry 
and Elizabeth (Grabenschroer) Grothe, both of whom were natives of 
Germany and came to America in early life. The mother crossed the 
Atlantic in i860 and in 1854 the father had made the same voyage. He 
is a farmer and basket-maker and is now about eighty years of age, while 
his wife has reached the age of sixty-seven years. They are yet resi- 
dents of Lee county. 

Henry Grothe was reared in his native county until eighteen years 
of age. He entered the Catholic schools and further continued his edu- 
cation in St. Francis Seminary, near Milwaukee. Wisconsin. He was 
there ordained in 1890 and for three months acted as substitute priest 
at West Point. Iowa. Later he spent seven months as assistant at Fort 
Madison. Iowa, and three months at Portsmouth, Shelby county, this 
state. Later he was assigned to the pastorate of the Catholic church in 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 493 

Richmond, Washington county, Iowa, where he remained until October, 
iS()6, when he came to Harper, where he has since continued The 
church here lias a membership of one hundred and twenty families ami is 
the largest Catholic church in the county. There is also a school 
conducted in connection with the church. The present house of worship 
was erected in 1883 and -the school was built in 1900, while the pastoral 
residence was erected in 1885. Father Grothe is popular with his peo- 
ple and well known ami highly respected among other denominations, 
lie labors untiringly for the advancement of the cause he represents and 
under his guidance the church at Harper has made satisfactory growth. 

J. W. LEMLEY. 

J. W. Lemley, one of the most progressive and successful agricul- 
turists of Richland township, is the owner of a farm of one hundred and 
eighty acres on section iS. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, No- 
vember 28, 1852, and is a son of Jacob Lemley. a native of Germany, 
who came to this country with his parents when only two years old and 
settled in Richland county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood and was 
married. On coming to Iowa in 1854 he first located in Washington 
county, but two years later took up his abode in Keokuk count}-, settling 
on section 17, Richland township, where he continued to make his home 
until called to his final rest at the age of sixty-seven years. He was 
an earnest and consistent member of the German Baptist Brethren church 
and took quite an active part in church work. In politics he was first a 
Democrat, but during President Lincoln's administration became a Re- 
publican and continued to vote with that party throughout the remainder 
of his life. For his first wife he married Miss Caroline Green, who 



494 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

was born and reared in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, and died at the age of 
thirty-nine years. Of the nine children born of that union six are still 
living, one of these being the subject of this sketch. In 1872 the father 
married Emma Whistler, by whom he had three children, all living a£ the 
present writing in 1902. 

J. W. Lemley of this review was the second in order of birth in the 
first family and was about two years old on the removal of his parents 
to Washington county. Iowa, and four when they came to Keokuk coun- 
ty. His boyhood and youth were passed in Richland township and he 
is indebted to its common schools for his early educational advantages, 
while later he was a student in the Agricultural College at Ames. Iowa. 
He engaged in teaching in the public schools from the age of twenty- 
one to twenty-six. 

In 1878 Mr. Lemley was united in marriage to Miss Lizzie Won- 
derlich, a native of Keokuk count}' and a daughter of Charles and Mary 
I Long) Wonderlich, who were old settlers of this county. Mrs. Lem- 
iey was also reared and educated in Richland township and by her mar- 
riage to our subject has become the mother of the following children ; 
Effie, deceased ; and Roscoe, Ray. Mary. Jennette and Lawrence, a! 1 at 
home. After his marriage Mr. Lemley took up his residence upon a farm 
in the northwest corner of section 18, Richland township, which he pur- 
chased but afterward sold, and in 1886 he removed to his present place, 
where he owns one hundred and eighty acres of land under a high state 
of cultivation. In connection with general farming he carries on stock 
raising and is meeting with good success in his undertakings. 

Politically Mr. Lemley is a supporter of the Republican party and 
takes an active and commendable interest in public affairs, having for 
three terms acceptably filled the office of township assessor. He is a 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 495 

member of the Missionary Baptist church, in which he has filled the office 
of deacon, and takes quite an active and prominent part in church and 
Sunday-school work. From the age of four years he has lived in Rich- 
land township, and as a public spirited and progressive citizen he has 
borne an important part in her upbuilding and development. He stands 
high in public esteem and well merits the regard in which he is held. 

JOHN RANDOLPH. 
John Randolph is a well known hardware merchant of Keota and 
was born in Mercer county, Illinois, on the 5th of May, 1848. He is a 
son of Edward F. and Mary ( Irwin ) Randolph, in whose family were 
twelve children, two of whom died in infancy, while one died at the age 
of fourteen years. The others, however, all reached years of maturity. 
The father of our subject was a native of Pennsylvania, reared in Craw- 
ford county .and when a young man he made his way to the west 
to enjoy its greater business privileges, taking up his abode in Mercer 
county. Illinois. There he married Miss Irwin, who was born and 
reared in Crawford county, Pennsylvania. Soon afterward he located 
in Rock Island county. Illinois, where he entered eighty acres of govern- 
ment land, in Edgington township. In the fall of 1864 he came to 
Keokuk county, Iowa, settling in Liberty township, where he purchased 
a farm and continued its cultivation until his life's labors were ended in 
death, when he was about sixty-four years of age. He was one of the 
organizers of the United Presbyterian church, served as a member of 
its building committee and took a very active part in church work. A 
Democrat in politics, he served as a trustee of his township and in other 
local offices, and in the county he was well known. His widow still 
survives him and is now seventy-six years of age. 



496 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

John Randolph and his twin brother, J. P\. were the eldest in the 
family of twelve children and were about a year old at the time the 
parents removed to Rock Island comity. Illinois. There the subject of 
this review was reared until about sixteen years of age. when he came 
with his parents to Keokuk county, Iowa, spending the remainder of his 
minority upon the home farm in Liberty township, which continued to 
be his residence even after he had reached man's estate. He remained 
with his parents until twenty-four years of age, assisting in the work 
of the home farm, and through the period of his youth he attended 
school during the winter months. He completed his preparation for a 
home of his own by his marriage in 1872 to Miss Marv J. Conger, who 
was born in Liberty township, Keokuk count}-, and is a representative 
of one of the pioneer families here. At the age of twelve years she 
was left an orphan. At the time of their marriage the young couple lo- 
cated on a farm in Lafayette township. Mr. Randolph giving his atten- 
tion to the cultivation of the soil until the fall of 1886, when he came 
to Keota and entered into partnership with his brother. James Randolph, 
as a dealer in hardware and farm implements. The partnership was 
continued until June, 1892, when the brother died. Our subject then as- 
sumed the business and has since conducted it. He sold the implement 
department in 1895, but continues in charge of the hardware store and 
now has a liberal patronage in that line, for he carries a large and well 
selected stock of goods and his earnest desire to please his patrons com- 
bined with honorable business methods has been the means of securing 
to him a large and growing trade. Mr. Randolph also has landed inter- 
ests, owning a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in O'Brien county 
and eight) 7 acres in Hancock county, this state. 

The home of our subject and his wife has been blessed with three 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 497 

children: Nellie, now the wife of A. C. Smock, a resident of O'Brien 
county; Mabel P. and Bessie M., who are at home. Mr. Randolph 
gives his political support to the Democracy and has served for two 
terms as trustee. He has also been a member of the town council for 
some time and puts forth every effort in his power in the discharge of 
the duties of office and in advancing the general welfare. He and 
his wife belong to the United Presbyterian church, in which he has 
served as treasurer and elder. He represents the class of busy, ener- 
getic men who, while controlling extensive business affairs, also find 
time to promote the welfare of the town or the locality in which they 
make their home. 

MATT VALERIUS. 
A prominent factor in mercantile circles of Harper is Mr. Valerius, 
who is here engaged in dealing in drugs and medicines, jewelry, wall 
paper, paints and oils. He was born in Wisconsin, February 4, 1862, 
and is a son of John and Kate (Webber) Valerius. The parents were 
born, reared and married in Germany, and after seeking a home in the 
new world they located in Wisconsin, where the father carried on agri- 
cultural pursuits. He improved a farm in that state and in 1866 left Wis- 
consin for Iowa, locating in Keokuk county on the 4th of March. He 
purchased a farm of one hundred acres in Lafayette township and to the 
further development and improvement of that place he devoted his ener- 
gies throughout the remainder of his active business career. His death 
occurred when he was seventy-seven years of age. and his wife passed 
away at the age of sixty-seven. They were the parents of ten children. 
of whom one died at the age of four years but all the others reached 
manhood or womanhood. 



498 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mr. Valerius is the eighth in the family of ten children and was 
four years of age when brought by his parents to this county. His boy- 
hood days were spent on the old homestead in Lafayette township, and 
in the district schools of the locality he pursued his education. He also 
attended a graded school in Carroll, where he was graduated, and after 
putting aside his text books he followed farming for a year. He then 
went to Carroll, Iowa, and secured a position in the employ of John 
Nye, a general merchant. He afterward worked for the same man at 
Marion, Linn county, Iowa, for several months and then returned to 
Harper. He acted as assistant at the depot under Charles Hurless for 
about a year and eight months. Subsequently he carried on agricul- 
tural pursuits on his own account for two years and in 1892 became 
a factor in the mercantile circles of Harper by opening a drugstore, 
which he has since continued. He carries a large line of drugs and medi- 
cine, jewelry, wallpaper, paints and oils, and has been accorded a liberal 
patronage in recognition of his honorable dealings and his straightfor- 
ward business methods. 

In 1894 Mr. Valerius was united in marriage to Rose Hogan, and 
unto them have been born two children, Leo and Inger. Mr. Vale- 
rius votes with the Democracy and is well known as a citizen and pro- 
minent business man of Harper, his enterprise contributing not only to 
his individual success but also promoting the commercial prosperity of 
his community. 

JOHN J. SNAKENBERG. 

John J. Snakenberg. a prominent agriculturist of Keokuk county, 
Iowa, residing on sect :; 29, German township, was born in a log cabin 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 499 

located on section jo. on December 27, 1849, and is a son of Louis and 
Mary ( Scharnhorst) Snakenberg, both of whom were born in Germany. 
Louis Snakenberg, the father of our subject, was one of the earliest 
settlers in German township and still resides upon the farm which lie 
entered from the government so many years ago. He came here in 
May. 1843, ail( ' nas reached his eightieth birthday, one of the most 
highly respected residents of this locality, and a leading member of the 
Methodist church. His wife still survives also, at the age of seventy- 
two years, and they are one of the most venerable couples in the town- 
ship. They had a family that consisted of nine sons and one daughter. 
all of whom were born in the log cabin which still stands on section _>o. 
and which sheltered the family in comfort for so many years. 

Our subject is the eldest child of the ten born to his parents and 
was reared on the old homestead in German township; and his interest 
in his own locality has been so great that be has never cared to leave 
bis native state. His education was obtained in a little log schoolhouse 
in the woods, where he learned the elementary principles, and his whole 
life has been devoted to the operation and improvement of his farm. He 
remained at home until he was twenty-eight years of age and then, on 
November 3, 1877. he was married to Josephine Fixmer, who was born 
in German township on February 13. 1857. and is the daughter of Rein- 
hart and Catherine (Blaise) Fixmer. who were old settlers in Keokuk 
county. 

After marriage Mr. Snakenberg settled in section 1, Van Buren 
townsbip. where he purchased eighty acres of land, remaining on that 
farm for five years, and then bought the farm where he now resides. 
He has made notable improvements on this place, one very substantial 
one being a deep well, which he had drilled in 1896. Mr. Snakenberg 



500 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 



" u " s one hundred .arcs of fine land and lias been very successful as a 
general farmer and stock raiser. He lias been a very industrious man 
and when bul sixteen years old began to run a threshing machine and 
lias followed that line of activity ever since, doing work all through 
the county and being the oldest man in the business. 

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Snakenberg consists of four children, 
namely: Hilda, who married Wesley Hoffman, a prominenl farmer of 
German township; Miss Josie, who is a young ladj al home; and Dora 
and Louis J., who attend school. The Snakenberg family is well 
known through this county, many of the brothers of our subject being, 
like himself, prominent and substantia] farmers. Of these: Richard 
was killed March 25, [875, m a saw mill explosion ; ( ihristian is a promi- 
nenl farmer of Van Buren township; Louis is also a prominent farmer 
"i the same township; Henry is one of the good fanners of Van Buren 
Lownship; Charles is a farmer in German township; Frank is located on 
section [6, in German township; Joseph operates his farm in section 17. 
German township; William resides on the homestead in section 20, Ger 
man township; and Annie, the only sister, married Edward Krannan, 
located on section 17. German township. Until [896 Mr. Snaken- 
berg was identified with the Democratic party, but the issues raised at 
that time induced him to affiliate with the Republican party, of which he 
has since lieen a valued member and has acceptably Tilled many of the 
local offices, Me is a member of the Masonic order, Webb Lodge, No. 
182, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Siguorney, in which he 

has filled the position of junior warden. lie has been actively inter- 
ested in the development of Keokuk county in his locality and is regard- 
ed as one of the representative men of this neighborhood. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 501 

WILLIAM HARRISON NEEDHAM. 

William Harrison Needham, of the Keokuk County News, 
Sigourney, Iowa, was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, August 
22, 1840; his parents were David Needham, a shoemaker, and Mar- 
garet Shaffer, having moved west from Pennsylvania. He moved from 
Ohio to Iowa in 1853 ;mi ' settled in Oskaloosa, where he received a com- 
mon school education and subsequently learned the trade of printer. In 
June, 1862, he enlisted in Company D, Twenty-second Iowa Volunteer 
Infantry, and participated in every engagement in which his regiment 
took part during the war, being mustered out of the service and hon- 
orably discharged at Savannah, Georgia, on the 1st of August, 1865. 
He was promoted to first lieutenant of his company for bravery at the 
assault on Vicksburg. May 22, 1863, by General Grant, who made spe- 
cial mention of him in his report of that battle. He was appointed on 
the staff of General Banks, while in Texas, but at his own request was 
permitted to return to his company and regiment. He was in the bat- 
tle of Port Gibson. Jackson, Raymond, Champion Hills, Black River 
Bridge, and the charge and siege of Vicksburg, which lasted forty-seven 
days. He again went to Jackson. Mississippi, and took part in the sec- 
ond engagement there. He was then sent to Xew Orleans and Texas, 
and afterwards sent to Petersburg. Virginia, w here the regiment was in 
Ben Butler's army; afterwards he was sent to the Shenandoah Valley, 
Virginia, where he took part in the battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill, 
and Cedar Creek, where Sheridan made his famous ride. He was in 
command of Company A for three months; he served as adjutant and 
quartermaster both at the same time for six months on account of the 
loss of so many line officers, and took part in two court martials. 



502 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Soon after returning from the army Mr. Needham purchased an 
interest in the Oskaloosa Herald, which he conducted until 1877. In 
November, 1878, he removed to Sigourney, purchased the Keokuk 
County News and still retains the position of editor of that paper, de- 
veloping it into one of the best and strongest weeklies in Iowa. It 
now has a circulation of three thousand copies weekly. For the past 
few years his two sons, Charles K. and John R., have been associated 
with him. Charles K. is associate editor and John R. is business man- 
ager. Both are good young rising newspaper men. With this com- 
pany of co-workers the News is bound to go forward and win still greater 
honors. The News is always actively identified with every object and 
movement which has the welfare of the community at heart. The pa- 
per is and always has been Republican in politics. 

In politics Mr. Needham is a prominent Republican, having always 
taken a deep interest in party affairs, and serving it in important capac- 
ities with the same ability and faithfulness which have characterized bis 
business life. While a resident of Oskaloosa he was postmaster from 
January, 1870. to 1877. He served as a member of the school board 
and city council of Sigourney for some time, and on September r, 
1898, was appointed postmaster by President McKinley, which office 
he still holds. In 1896 he was a delegate to the Republican national 
convention at St. Louis, which nominated William McKinley for the 
presidency. He has been chairman of the Keokuk county Republican 
ci unmittee for six years, and has attended as a delegate nearly all the 
lima state conventions of the party during the last quarter of a century, 
and was also a member of the Republican state central committee for 
two terms. Air. Xeedham is a prominent member of the Grand Army 
of the Republic and a Knight Templar in the Masonic fraternity. De- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 503 

cember jo. 1866, he married Olive, daughter of Samuel Knowlton, of 

Oskaloosa, Iowa, and they have had eight children: Charles K.. John 
R., Alice Pearl, (deceased), Edna I'., Emma J.. Sherman Waldo, Anna 
Celle. and William Harrison, Jr. 



CHARLES F. SINGMASTER. 

Charles F. Singmaster was bom in Perry county, Pennsylvania, 
February 29, 1834. and came to Keokuk dainty. Iowa, in 1844. with his 
father. Samuel Singmaster. of whom mention is made elsewhere in 
this volume. He was reared on the farm and early in life becami 
ciated with his father and brothers in the importation and sale of high- 
class draft hor>es. The style of the linn was Singmaster and Son-, and 
later Singmaster Bros. In 1891, at the death of William Singmaster. 
our subject dissolved partnership with his father and his brother 
Thomas, and established the firm of Singmaster & Sons, he being the 
senior member of the firm and his sons, J. Omer and Charles A., con- 
stituting the other member-;. Locating about two miles north of Keota 
the firm has since maintained their horse ranch here. The farm is 
known as "Maple-hurst." and here are ten large barns, and other 
ern facilities for the care of their horses, and Mr. Singmaster has a large 
and modern residence; just across the road in a pleasing cottage home 
resides his son Charles A., while his son J. Omer and only daughter 
resides in the parental home. 

Mr. Singmaster was married in 1S67 to Mary Ann McCarty. 
daughter of Charles and Mary (Collins) McCarty. Six children 
were born unto the marriage, three of whom. Samuel, .Mice and 
Tressa are deceased, those living being J. Omer. who married Edna 



504 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

\ ercheval; Lharles A., who married Sadie McFarlane; and Sophia, un- 
jnarried. 

The firm of Singmaster & Sons is second to no other firm of 
horse importers in this country. They import and breed Percheron, 
Belgian, Clyde and Shire drafts, the preference being the Percheron, 
which our subject deems to meet the largest demand and in his jucl \ 
merit is the best of all draft horses. The sales and shipping barn 
is located in the town of Keota, and is a model barn, attractive and 
convenient. Much credit for the splendid success of the firm is due 
the excellent business judgment and unflagging energy of our subject. 
He is a hard worker, and carries his undertakings to a successful issue 
with noticable determination. 

His son. J. Omer, is the purchaser in Europe and mi his judgment 
much depends; he has gained an enviable reputation among Americans 
visiting Europe to purchase horses. Charles A. assists his father in 
the sale of the horses, and. like his father, is a man of energy and 
splendid business judgement. 



KEISER BROS. 

A firm that has indeed gained an enviable reputation as importers 
and sellers of high-class draft stallions of the Percheron and Shire 
breeds for the most part, is that of Keiser Bros., of Keota. Keokuk 
county, Iowa. The firm was established in 1897. The preference of 
the firm was for Percherons, for the reason that Percherons seemed 
to meet the demands of the entire country. They began importing 
horses in a limited way, and by enterprise, hard work and fair dealing 
have from year to year gradually broadened their business, increased 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 505 

their importations, extended their sales and improved the character 
of the horses which they handle until they have become prominent among 
the leading- and best known horse importers of this country, and the 
firm name of Keiser Bros, has become a power in the draft horse busi- 
ness. 

The personnel of the firm is composed of Samuel I. and Charles 
O. Keiser. The brothers are natives of Keokuk county, Iowa, and both 
had had experience in the horse business before the formation of the 
firm of Keiser Bros. Samuel I., the older brother, makes it his special 
business to visit France as often as necessary to keep their barns sup- 
plied with horses of the best tvpe, while Charles O. has charge of the 
sale of the horses. Among the American horse buyers that visit 
France, Samuel J. Keiser has gained the reputation^of being among 
the best, if not the best, horse buyer and.importer of this country. His 
well known ability has been amply recognized by the officials of the 
International Live Stock Show, where for the past two years he has 
been called upon to act in the difficult capacity of one of the judges. 
It has been well said that a horse "well bought is half sold.'* and per- 
haps to this may be attributed no little of the success of Keiser Bros, 
in disposing of their importations, as few buyers who have visited France 
have had the success as a buyer which has come to Samuel I. Keiser. 
His long experience in the horse business and his pleasant way of treat- 
ing those with whom he comes in contact have certainly well qualified 
him for the position. The best evidence of his success in tlv-. is 
shown by the exceptional demand that Messrs. Keiser Bros, have en- 
joyed for their importations. No less credit however. -should be given 
t«> Charles < ). Keiser, as he handles the sales of the importations in a 
way that marks him as a master of this line of the business. 



506 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

It has been the policy of this firm to handle only high-class horses, 
and in so doing they have established a trade that is a decided compli- 
ment to their efforts along this line, and they have followed the principle 
of keeping the prices wholly within the reach of buyers of a high class 
of P.ercheron, Shire and French Coach stallions. While the Percherons 
predominate at the Keiser barns, there are also a splendid lot of Shire 
stallions on hand, as well as a few Belgians and a few French Coachers. 
The horses generally are of good style, well coupled, having long, well 
set quarters, good muscle, wide, full chests and well set shoulders. 
They sell cither privately or to companies, and their fair dealing has 
gained for them the confidence of horse buyers and breeders. The 
linn has enjoyed a constantly increasing business from the first, and 
stands to-day among the leading importers of the country. Keota is 
the residence town of the brothers, and among their fellow-citizens 
they are held in high repute. 



LOUIS SNAKENBERG. 

The population of Keokuk county is composed largely of a sturdy 
class of pioneers, together with their descendants, whose brain and 
brawn wrought out of the raw material of nature's laboratory the 
improvements demanded by civilization, being able to adapt themselves 
to the exigencies of the situation and skillfull}- overcome all obstacles 
by the further resources of their own capabilities and endurance. 
Among this honored class there is none whose experience has touched 
the whole range of pioneer endeavor and achievement to a greater ex- 
tent than the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph, and whose 
faithfulness, integrity, and masterful capabilities are well known to all. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 507 

The gentleman named above resides on section 20 111 German town- 
ship, and at the age of eighty years is enjoying a well earned rest from 
the rugged experiences through which he has passed in his pioneer 
days. lie is held in the highest esteem by all, and the members of 
his family are regarded with the greatest respect throughout the 
county. Mr. Louis Snakenberg first saw the light across Old Ocean 
on the 3rd of July, [822, his native country being Hanover, Germany. 
His father was named John, who spell*! the family name Schnaken- 
berg, and he, together with his family, came to America in 1837. first 
settling m Wheeling, West Virginia. After two years he moved 
further west, locating in Washington county, Iowa. The year 1N44 
marks his coming to Keokuk county, where he was a useful and hon- 
ored citizen to the date of his death in 1849, having lived to the green 
old age of 84 years. Fie married Mary Enkelton in the fatherland, 
and she died in Keokuk county, in the seventy-fifth year of her age. 
being the mother Of seven children, all of whom grew to maturity 
and had families of their own. Of this family Mr. Louis Snaken- 
berg was the youngest. He was a lad of fifteen years when he left the 
fatherland and was possessed of a good ordinary education. He re- 
mained with his parents and participated in the different moves, arriv- 
ing in Keokuk county in 1844. In 1848 he began life in earnest by 
taking to himself a wife, the exact date being May 24th. The lady's 
name was Mary Scharnhorst, and she also was a native of Germany, 
having been born in the kingdom of Hanover on the 3rd of December, 
1830. Her parents removed with their family to this country in 1845, 
coming by the lower route and coming up the Mississippi river to St. 
Louis: they immediately located in Keokuk county, where they passed 
their lives. The family of which she was a member consisted of four 



508 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

children : the father's name was Christian, and the mother's Dorethe 
Kragel. 

Mr. Louis Snakenberg and his wife began life in a log house on 
the farm where they now live, and that same log house stands as a 
reminder of the trials and difficulties of that early time. They had 
a family of ten children, namely : John J. ; Detrich, deceased ; Christian ; 
Louis -C. ; Henry L. ; Frank; Charles; Joseph; Annie; William. All 
of these children grew to maturity and all, save Detrich, married, and 
they are now living within the bounds of the county, where they are 
held in the greatest respect in their different communities. The whole 
life of Air. Snakenberg has been spent in tilling the soil, an occupation 
which cannot help but bring out the best that there is in man, as it 
brings him daily in contact with Dame Nature in all her innocence. He 
began with absolutely nothing but health and a will to do, and now in 
the evening of his life he can look back with satisfaction over a career 
of usefulness and one which has been attended with material success, 
so that he can pass the remainder of his days in peace and contentment. 
He still retains many of the old articles of furniture and implements 
which were carved by his own hands in those early pioneer days, and 
they are living reminders of an age which has passed all too soon, 
filled as it was with the innocent pleasures of pioneer life. During the 
period of his existence here, he had always been actively interested in the 
Democratic party, but in 1896, feeling that the policies of that party 
were inimical to the best interests of the country, he voted the Repub- 
lican ticket, since which time he has been an earnest supporter of the 
same. For fifty-eight long years Mr. Snakenberg has been a member of the 
Methodist church, all of which time he has been an earnest and active 
worker. The authors of this volume cannot confer a greater favor 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 509 

upon, its readers than by giving space to the exploitation of the life of 
this worthy citizen, and commending it to the young people of the 
community as one worthy of the most careful emulation. 



CHARLES SNAKENBERG. 

This gentleman is one of the worthy sons of the family noted 
above. He himself is a prominent and enterprising representative of 
the agricultural class, residing in section n of German township. 11 is 
birth occurred in German township, September 14, i860. He early 
became familiar with the labors of the field and meadow and assisted 
manfully in the work of the home farm, acquiring such knowledge as 
was afforded in that early day in the public school of his district. He 
remained at home for six years after the legal age and then set up an 
establishment of his own. being joined in marriage. March 18. 1888, to 
Ella M. Fry. This lady is also a native of the township, the daughter 
of Ruben Fry, another old settler, and of a family that is held in the 
very highest repute. After Mr. Snakenberg's marriage he located at 
once on the farm which he now cultivates, and on this he has placed all 
of the improvements which go to make up one of the finest farms in 
the countv. He built his present commodious and handsome residence 
in 1890. a residence which is a credit not only to him. but to the county 
in which he resides. Mr. Snakenberg has proved by honest toil and 
close attention to business that farming is not a lost art in these incipient 
years of the twentieth century. To the marriage of Mr. Snakenberg 
there were born two sons. Byron and Jesse. As stated before. Mr. 
Snakenberg has taken great pride in beautifying his farm, having set 
out a lars;e number of trees with his own hand. He takes a worthy 



510 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

interest in the public life of the county and has been In mured with 
some of the minor offices of the township, since 1896 having been town- 
ship trustee. He takes an active part irj all that pertains to the up- 
building of society in educational and religious lines, and as his father 
before him, is regarded with the highest respect. 



JOHN IRONS. 

Ninety-two years of life filled with useful effort and crowded with 
respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens have left this venerable resident 
of Keokuk county still hale and heart}- and with every prospect of con- 
tinued health fur some years to come. He was one of the pioneers of 
this locality and is to-day an honored citizen of Adams township. A 
native of Maryland, he was born in Alleghany county on the roth of 
April, 1810, and is of German descent, his father, John Irons, having 
come to .America with his parents when but six months old. The 
family located in Frederick county, Maryland, about forty-five miles 
from Baltimore and there the father of our subject was reared to man- 
hood and married, the lady of his choice being Miss Catherine Hann, 
who was born and reared in New Jersey. The young couple located 
upon land in Alleghany county, and there in the midst of the forest 
the father cleared and improved a farm. Throughout life he engaged 
in agricultural pursuits. During the early days the family endured 
many hardships and privations, the country being still in its primitive 
condition. The mother died when about fifty-eight years of age and 
the father passed away at the age of seventy-eight. In the family of 
this worthy couple were fifteen children, twelve of whom reached man 
and womanhood. There were six sons and six daughters, but only 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 511 

four of the number are now living, one being a resident of Nebraska, 
another of Kansas and the third of \ irginia. while our subject makes 
his home in Iowa. 

On the old home farm John Irons passed the days of hi-- boyhood and 
youth and on reaching man's estate he was married in West Virginia in 
1832 to Miss Margaret Powell, who was born in Monongalia county, 
near the Marion county line. Fourteen children blessed this union. 
twelve of whom reached years of maturity. In order of birth they are 
as follows: Catharine, deceased; Joseph, now a resident of Oregon: 
Nancy Ann. wife of Decater Higgins; Charles, whose sketch appears on 
another page of this volumn; John, who entered the Union army for 
three years' service and was killed in a railroad wreck while on his 
way home; William, a resident of Nebraska; Levi, a farmer of Adams 
township, Keokuk county, Iowa; Margaret, the wife of John W. Light- 
foot, a resident of California; James, deceased; Warren, a farmer of 
Adams township, this county; Alice, wife of Andrew Hummer, who 
lives on the old homestead; and Allen, deceased. 

After this marriage Mr. Irons located m Munn county. West Vir- 
ginia, where he engaged in farming for fourteen years, and continued 
to make that place his home for two years longer, when he returned to 
the old homestead in Alleghany county. Maryland, bavin- purchased 
the same. He continued the operation of that farm until 1853, when 
he sold the place and came to Iowa, making the journey by team to 
Adams township, Keokuk county. He entered three hundred and 
twenty acres of land and to it he added from time to time until he had 
six hundred acres, part of which was the present town site of Keswick. 
He continued his farming and stock raising until well advanced in 
vears. when he retired from active labor, leaving the operation of the 



512 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

land to younger hands. Since then he has divided must of his prop- 
erty among his children. 

Mr. Irons has been called upon to mourn the death of his wife, 
who died on the ioth of March, 1900. They had traveled life's journey 
together for sixty-seven years, two months and twenty-seven days. 
They had shared with each other life's joys and sorrows, its adversity 
and prosperity. Although ninety-two years of age he has always been 
in exceptionally good health, and has never taken a dose of medicine 
in his life. He is strictly temperate in all his habits, never using 
liquor, nor has he ever smoked or chewed tobacco, and to his excellent 
habits may be attributed the tine health which he has enjoyed. On 
attaining his majority Mr. Irons became identified with the Democratic 
part)- and cast his first vote for General Jackson and has since never 
wavered in his allegiance to that political organization. His fellow- 
citizens recognize his worth and ability and called upon him to serve in 
local positions of honor and trust and he was at one time a member of 
the Grange. He was one of the first settlers of Adams township and 
for half a century has resided upon his present farm. He is the oldest 
man living in Keokuk count}- and no one in the community is held in 
higher esteem. After a useful and honorable career he can well afford 
to lay aside all business cares and live in ease and retirement. As a 
citizen he has ever stood ready to discharge any duty involving upon 
him and the best years of his life were given to the up-building and 
advancement of his adopted county. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 513 

CHARLES IRONS. 

Among the brave men who devoted the opening- wars of their 
manhood to the defense of their country during- the dark days of the 
Livil war was Charles Irons, a prominent old settler of this county, 
who is now engaged in the grocer)' business at Keswick. He was 
born in Marion county, West Virginia, on the 26th of December, [839, 
and is the fourth child and second son of John and Margaret ( Powell) 
Irons, whose sketch appears above. He was about fourteen vears of 
age when he came with the family to Keokuk county, Iowa, and upon 
a farm in Adams township he grew to manhood, his life being devoted 
to agricultural pursuits when not in school until after the outbreak of 
the Rebellion. In 1862 he enlisted for three years as private in Com- 
pany H, Thirty-third Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and he participated in 
the engagements at Jenkins Ferry and many others in Alabama, assist- 
ing in the capture of Spanish Fort. For about six months he was 
confined in the regimental hospital at Helena, Arkansas, and was then 
sent home on a furlough, at length rejoining his regiment at Little 
Rock. He remained in active service until the close of the war, and 
was then honorably discharged at Rock Island, Illinois, after which he 
returned to his home with an army record 01 which he may be justly 
proud. 

Mr. Irons was then successfully engaged in general farming and 
stock raising until 1901, when he removed to Keswick and embarked in 
the grocery business, in which pursuit he is incewisp meeting with suc- 
cess, having already built up a good trade. He is still the owner of 
a good farm of one hundred and fifty-four acres in Adams township, 
which he rents, and is a stockholder in the Keswick Savings Bank. He 



514 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGkAPHICAL HISTOkY. 

assisted in organizing that bank, was one of its directors for some time, 
and also served as vice president. He is a man of good business and 
executive ability, who generally carries forward to successful completion 
whatever he undertake-, and he ranks among the leading and repre- 
sentative citizens of the town. lie is widely and favorably known 
throughoul the county and is justly entitled to prominent mention in 
its history. 

JOHN OWEN NEWK1RK. 

Among the retired farmers of Keokuk county is numbered this gen- 
tleman, who is a highly-esteemed and respected citizen of Warren town- 
ship, lie was horn in Johnson county, Indiana. July 20, [833, and 
comes of a family of Holland origin. His father, Daniel Xewkirk. 
was a native of Holland and with his parents crossed the Atlantic to 
America, the family settling in Kentucky when he was about two years 
of age. He remained under the parental roof until he attained his 
majority and then removed to Indiana, locating in Morgan county, 
where he followed the occupation of a gunsmith, making his home. 
however, upon a farm. He led a busy and useful life and was thus 
enabled to provide for his family in a comfortable manner. Before 
leaving Kentucky he was united in marriage to Matilda Elston, a native 
of that state, where she lived until after her marriage. They be- 
came the parents of eleven children, seven 30ns and four daughters. Of 
this number three sons and two daughters are yet living. William H. 
and Mary E. have both passed away. J. O., of this review, is the 
next in order of birth and the others are as follows: Elias; Elizabeth; 
.Martha; Jacob, who v.:- killed in the army: Daniel, who died in in- 




MR. AHD MRS. J. 0. HEWKIRK. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 517 

fancy; Nettie, deceased; Cyrus; and Milton, deceased. These parent? 
came to Iowa in 1852, the family being established upon a farm in 
Keokuk county, where the father purchased six hundred and fort) 
acres of land, the greater part of which was wild and unimproved. 
With characteristic energy the elder Newdkirk began clearing and devel- 
oping this tract and also followed his trade until his eyesight failed him. 
He was considered one of the leading gunsmiths of the country, being 
an expert workman and understanding his business thoroughly, both 
in principal and in detail. He remained upon the farm until his death 
and his supervision of the land and the cultivation he bestowed upon 
it transformed it into a very valuable tract. Suffering fn mi a stroke of 
paralysis in June, 18S7, Mr. Xewkirk never recovered, but passed away 
on the 1st of September, of that year, at the age of eighty-four. He 
had been a loyal and exemplary member of the Independent Order of 
Odd bellows, but at the time of his death was not associated with the 
organization. In his political views he was a \\ "big in early life. 
Later be became a Democrat, but at the time of his death his support was 
given to the Republican party, and he consistently upheld its principles. 
He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and his life was in 
consistent harmony with his professions. So honorable and upright 
was he that his word was considered as good as his bond, and wherever 
known he commanded the respect and unqualified confidence of those 
with whom he was associated. 

T. O. Xewkirk spent his childhood days in Morgan county. In- 
diana, and with his parents came to Keokuk county. Iowa. He assisted 
his father at his trade and also upon the farm and was thus early trained 
to habits of industry, economy and enterprise — habits which have fol- 
lowed him throughout his entire life and have led to his success in later 



518 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

years. As a companion and helpmate for life's journey he chose Miss 
Elizabeth McNabb, the marriage being celebrated on the 13th of March, 
1850. The lady is a native of Morgan county, Indiana, and is a 
daughter of Andrew j. McNabb, a pioneer settler of Keokuk county. 
The McNabbs came from Indiana to Iowa in 1842 and stopped in Wash- 
ington county one year. In 1843 they settled in Warren township, Keo- 
kuk county, where he entered one hundred and sixty acres of land and 
improved it, carrying on the work of cultivation until the farm became 
very productive and valuable; he plowed the first furrow that was 
turned north of Skunk river, in the western part of Keokuk county, 
and was an active factor in the early development and improvement 
of this part of the state; he died September 9. 1896, in Delta, Iowa, at 
the age of eighty-two years; both he and his wife were natives of Ken- 
tucky. The home of our subject and his wife has been blessed with 
seven children, a son and six daughters, but two of the daughters have 
now passed away. The family record is as follows : America E. ; 
Matilda, the wife of W. T. Wharton, of Spokane, Washington; Martha 
S., deceased; Flora D., the wife of C. G. Saunders, of Council Bluffs, 
Iowa; Jennie, deceased; Mary Ann, the wife of Frank Kendall, of Delta, 
Iowa ; and John L. 

After his marriage Mr. Newkirk located upon a farm in Warren 
township, making his home thereon for twelve years, during which time 
he placed his land under a high state of cultivation and made other 
substantial improvements upon his place. He then sold the property, 
but immediately purchased another farm in the same township. This. 
too, he sold at a later date and in 1892 he came to his present home, 
where he has since lived. During the past sixteen years he has worked 
at the carpenter's trade, and he still follows this pursuit, although he is 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 519 

now in his seventieth year. His life has been one of unremitting toil 
and should put to shame many a man of younger years who, having 
felt the burden of business life, would relegate to others the cares 
which he himself should bear. Mr. Newkirk is a member of the 
Masonic fraternity, having taken the three degrees of the blue lodge 
and holding membership in Delta. He has always been identified with 
the Democratic party, having firm faith in its principles, for he believes 
that they are best calculated to conserve good government. He has 
served as a postmaster of Delta for four years, filling the position under 
President Cleveland's second administration, and then refused to con- 
tiniw in the office during the Republican administration, lie was also 
a notary public for a number of years and has held every township 
office with the exception of one. For twenty-four year* he has been 
a member of the school board and the cause of education has found 
in him a warm friend, for he believes in good schools and competent 
teachers, realizing that education is one of the bulwarks of the nation 
and a splendid preparation for the duties of lire. He and wife and fam- 
ily belong to the Christian church of Delta and his entire life has been 
one which has awakened uniform respect and confidence. In public 
office his course has been above reproach, for he has ever been prompt, 
loval and faithful. 



LEVI IRONS. 

This gentleman has now been identified with the agricultural in- 
terests of Keokuk county for forty-eight years, and is to-day the owner 
of a well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and twenty acres 
on section 21, Adams township, its neat and thrifty appearance testify- 



520 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

ing to the careful supervision of the owner. Mr. In ins was born in 
West Virginia on the 14th of January, 184(1, and is the fifth son and 
seventh child in the family of John [rons, of whom extended mention 
is made in a preceding- sketch. At the age of eight years our subject 
was brought by his parents to this county and under the parental roof 
he spent the days of his boyhood and youth, his literary education being- 
obtained in the schools of Adams township. During his minority he 
gave his father the benefit of his labor in the operation of the home 
farm, and at the age of twenty-one began farming on his own account 
on his father's place. A year later he purchased one hundred and sixty 
acres of land, to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted 
his energies until 1896. 

On the 14th of April, 1896, Mr. Irons was united in marriage to 
Mrs. Mary 1 Williams 1 Anderson, a native of Illinois, born in 1850. 
and a daughter of W. S. Williams, who came to Keokuk county, Iowa, 
in 1896, and is now engaged in farming here. Mrs. Irons was reared 
and educated in her native state and was first married in Illinois to 
Eliakem Anderson, who was born in Xew Jersey and was a farmer In- 
occupation. In 1886 they came to Iowa and located on a farm in 
Adams township, Keokuk county, which Mr. Anderson operated 
throughout the remainder of his life. Being in ill health he entered 
a hospital in Chicago, but he never recovered and died there in 1892. 

After his marriage Mr. Irons located upon his present farm in 
Adams township, where he owns one hundred and twenty acres of rich 
and arable land, which is under a high state of cultiation. He is a 
progressive and enterprising farmer and is meeting with good success 
in his chosen occupation. He has always devoted considerable atten- 
tion to stock raising and has found that branch of his business quite 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 521 

profitable. In politics he is independent, supporting the men whom he 
believes best qualified for office, regardless of party lines. He merits 
and receives the respect and esteem of all who know him and is one of 
the valued members of the community in which he lives. 



WARREN C. IRONS. 

Warren C. Irons, who resides on section 29, Adams township, owns 
and operates a valuable farm of two hundred and eight}- acres, whose 
neat and thrift}- appearance well indicates his careful supervision. A 
native son of Keokuk count}-, Mr. Irons was born on section jj, of 
the township where he still resides, his natal day being May 12, 1854, 
and he is the twelfth child in the family of John and Margaret ( Powell ) 
Irons, whose sketch precedes. Upon the home farm our subject was 
reared to manhood, receiving a good practical education in the district 
schools of the locality and assisting in the operation of the farm and 
in herding sheep during his youth. Me was married on the 12th of 
February, 1889, to Miss Lizzie Stoner, a daughter of John and Fannie 
Stoner. Both of her parents are now deceased. The father died in 
1869 and the mother in 1872, while Mrs. Irons was called to her final 
rest, October 27th, 1889. She left one daughter, Rosa E., who was 
born October 11. 1889, but died on the 2nd of February, 1890. Mr. 
Irons was again married, his second union being with Miss C. Anna 
Fisch. who was born in Muscatine county. Iowa. May 11. 1863. and 
is a daughter of Michael and Eva (Lang) Fisch, both natives of Ger- 
many, the father having come to the new world when about twelve 
years of age and the mother when about eighteen. They were married 
in Muscatine, Iowa. Mr. Fisch. who is a farmer by occupation, now 



52.' GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

makes his home in Keokuk. In his family were eight children, six 
(laughters and two sons, Mrs. Irons being the sixth in order of birth 
Of this family three daughters and one son are now living. By his 
second marriage Mr. Irons has one daughter. Vera Eva, who was bom 
May 24, 1896, and is now a bright little girl of six summers. His 
wife spent her girlhood on a farm in Iowa county, Iowa, until twelve 
years of age and was educated in the common schools. 

After his marriage Mr. Irons took up his abode upon the farm 
where he now resides and has since devoted his energies to its opera- 
tion. He is a skillful and progressive farmer who has met with success 
in business and has found stock raising quite a profitable source of in- 
come. Besides his property in this county he owns three hundred and 
twenty acres of land in the Red river valley 111 Wilkin county, Minne- 
sota. He also has town property in Keswick and is a stockholder in 
the Keswick Savings Bank. He has made many improvements upon 
bis home place, including the erection of a commodious and pleasant 
residence in [900, and everything about the farm plainly indicates the 
thrift and enterprise of the owner, who is regarded as one of the leading- 
citizens of the community. His entire life has been passed in Adams 
township and those who know him best are numbered among his warm- 
est friends. He is industrious and enterprising and to these qualities 
'.nay be attributed his success in life, while his ballot supports the men 
and measures of Democracy., and as every true citizen, takes an active 
interest in public affairs. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 523 

JUNIOUS HAMILTON. 

The agricultural interests of Keokuk count}- are represented by 
no more worthy citizen than Jnnions Hamilton, a pioneer settler of 
the county, born in Putnam county, Missouri, January 14, 1847. He 
is a second son of W. C. Hamilton, also a pioneer settler of Keokuk 
county, and a brother of James Hamilton, whose name appears on an- 
other page of this work. Junious Hamilton spent his early childhood 
days in Missouri, where also in youth he acquired his education. He 
removed with his parents to Iowa at about the age of eighteen, and re- 
mained at home until his marriage, which occurred June 16, 1868, the 
lady of his choice being Elizabeth Lisk, a native of England. Her 
parents crossed the Atlantic, settling in Mahaska county, Iowa, when 
she was quite young. In 1898 Mr. Hamilton was called upon to mourn 
the loss of his first wife, and in 1900 he was married to Miss Belle 
Hamaker, the marriage being celebrated on the 19th of July, of that year. 
The lady of his second choice was a native of Jefferson county, Ohio. 
She is a daughter of Elisha Hamaker a native of Ohio, who became 
later an early settler of Iowa. However, he did not remain in Iowa 
for a great length of time, but returned to his old home in Ohio. Mr. 
Hamilton and his wife became the parents of one son, Everett B., born 
July 13, 1901. 

Mr. Hamilton has remained upon his present farm since 1889. 
It comprises forty acres of the rich land of Iowa, and upon it he con- 
ducts agricultural pursuits, being a man of progressive methods, taking 
advantage of the latest improved machinery for facilitating farm work. 
and carefully supervising the work of the farm in principle and detail. 
The neat and thrifty appearance of the place indicates the energetic 



5J4 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

and enterprising character of the owner, wh > may well be proud of his 
well tilled fields and his good grade of stock. Mr. Hamilton is fifty- 
live years of age and his estimable wife is forty. In the prime of life 
they are enjoying the results of their well directed labors and are highly 
respected citizens of Warren township. 

In his political views he endorses the men and measures of the 
Republican party and lends his aid in support of the same. He is a 
member of the Christian church and bis life has been in consistent 
harmony with his religious belief. A man of upright character and 
sterling qualities of heart and mind, be is popular in his adopted 
county, where he enjovs the confidence and respect of many friends. 

ROBERT A. MARSHALL. 

One of the honored pioneer citizens of Keokuk comity, where he 
was long and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, is Mr. 
Marshall, who is now living retired in the attractive village of Ollie, 
where he has a pleasant home and is enjoying the well earned reward 
of his former years of toil and endeavor. Mr. Marshall is a native of 
the state of Indiana, having been born in Decatur county, on the 7th 
of May, 1831. a son of John Marshall, who was born in Maryland, 
where he was reared and educated and whence, as a young man, he 
accompanied his parents on their removal to Ohio, where they were 
numbered among the early settlers. His father, William Marshall, was 
born in England, v hence his parents came to America when he was a 
child, this being in the colonial epoch. Here William Marshall grew 
to manhood, and when the colonies, burdened with unjust oppression, 
sought to throw off the voke of the mother country, he was loyal to the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 525 

cause of independence- and tendered his services as a soldier in the I 'on 
tinental army, serving under Washington and taking part in may of 
the important engagements of the Revolution. He died in Greene 
county, Ohio, when well advanced in years. His wife and her mother 
were residing in Massachusetts at the time of the war of the Revolu- 
tion and were in so close proximity that when the battle of Bunker 
Hill was in progress they stood at their door and received the dying 
reports as to the progress of the conflict. 

John Marshall, father of our subject, was married at Madison, 
Indiana, to Miss Elizabeth Edwards, who was born in Virginia, whence 
her parents removed to the west when she was an infant, making the 
long journey on pack horses. They first settled in what was known 
as the Crabapple Orchard, in Kentucky, being among the very first to 
locate in that section, and there Mr. Edwards aided in the various con- 
flicts with the Indians, who were finally brought under subjection. 
When the mother of our subject was a young lady she went with her 
parents to Indiana, and after her marriage she and her husband took 
up their abode on a farm in Decatur county, that state. John Marshall 
there planted the town <>i Milford, seven miles west of Greenburg, and 
there he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, honored by 
all who knew them and known as persons of sterling rectitude of char- 
acter. There also they reared their children to lives of usefulness, 
and the name is one honored in that section of the Hoosier state. They 
became the parents of ten children, of whom only three are living at 
the present time. The names of the children are here entered in the 
order of birth : William, James and John are deceased ; Robert A. is 
the immediate subject of this sketch ; Alfred and Eliza are deceased ; 



526 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Mary is the wife of David Barger; Nancy is the wife of Angus Forbes; 
and Elijah and Deborah are deceased. 

Robert A. Marshall continued to remain on the old homestead farm 
until the death of his father, and his vocation throughout life has been 
that of an agriculturist. In 1854 he came to Keokuk county, Iowa, 
and located on a tract of eighty acres of prairie land, in Steady Run 
township, and here he developed a fine rural estate, making the best 
of permanent improvements and adding to the area of his estate until 
he is now the owner of six hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, the 
major portion of which is under effective cultivation. He has devoted 
his farm to diversified agriculture and also given special attention to 
the raising of a high grade of cattle and hogs, while he directed his 
efforts to such discrimination and energy that a full measure of pros- 
perity came to him, enabling him to eventually lay aside the more active 
labors and cares and to resign the management of his farm to younger 
hands. He took up his residence in the village of Ollie, which town 
he was instrumental in having laid out about 1885, and no man in the 
community enjoys a more unqualified confidence and esteem, and that he 
is well known in the county needs hardly be said when we revert to 
the fact that he has here maintained his home for nearly a half century. 
He has aided materially in the development of the natural resources 
of this section, has contributed to civic advancement, and all worthy 
causes concerning the public good have gained his influence and support. 

In Milfordj Decatur county, Indiana, in the year 1852, Mr. Marshall 
was united in marriage to Miss Mary Landis, who was born and reared 
reared in that state. She died on the homestead farm in this 
county, leaving two children, John and Nettie, both of whom 
were born in this county. On the 14th of January, 1861, Mr. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 527 

Marshall was married to Mrs. Phoebe Braden, the widow of Wal- 
ter Braden. She was born in Ohio, being a daughter of William and 
Margaret (Dearmond) Fye. Our subject and his estimable wite are 
the parents of two children. Frank and Van. In politics Mr. Marshall 
lias given a stanch support to the Republican party from the time of its 
organization, and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, of which he has been a member for half a century. He assisted 
materially in the erection of the church edifice in Ollie and has taken 
an active part in church work, as has also his wife, who is likewise a 
member of the church. 



AARON STALKER. 

Aaron Stalker, a prominent farmer and old settler of Richland 
township residing on section 15, was born in Hendricks county. Indiana, 
on the 19th of November, 1843. His father. George Stalker, was a 
native of Guilford county, North Carolina, and was there reared and 
married. About 1837 he sought a home in the west taking up his 
abode in Indiana, where he remained until 185 1. when he came to Keokuk 
county, Iowa, locating upon the farm upon which our subject now 
resides. Here he spent his remaining days until within a short period 
prior to his death, when he took up his abode in Richland and there he 
passed away at the advanced age of eighty-seven years, respected by 
all who knew him because his lite was upright and honorable, and lie- 
cause he was consciencious always in his relations to his fellow men 
and straightforward in his business transactions. He held member- 
slip 111 the Friends church and bis life was in harmony with its teachings. 
In his politics he was first a Whig and afterward a Republican. His 



528 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

father, Jonathan Stalker, was of Scutch lineage. The mother of our 
subject bore the maiden name of Hannah Milliken and was burn in 
North Carolina, where her girlhood days were passed. She lived to 
be seventy-three years of age and became the mother of eight children, 
all of whom are living with one exception. 

Aaron Stalker is the youngest son and the sixth child of the family. 
He was seven years of age when the family came to Keokuk county. 
Iowa, and on the home farm his childhood days were passed, the place 
being now endeared to him through the associations of his youth as 
well as those of later manhood. In the district school he obtained his 
education and his training at farm labor was received under the direc- 
tion of his father. 

In 1874 Mr. Stalker was united in marriage to Miss Mary Charles, 
a native of Jefferson county. Iowa, and a daughter of Thomas and 
Charlotte (Johnson) Charles, the former a native of Indiana and the 
latter of Ohio. In 185 1 they came to Iowa and cast in their lot with 
the early pioneer settlers of this state. Mrs. Stalker was the fourth 
of their five children and was reared in Jefferson county. After their 
marriage our subject and his wife located in Richland township. He 
purchased the old homestead, upon which he has since engaged in farm- 
ing and stock raising. He has three hundred and sixty acres of land, the 
most of which is under cultivation with the exception of a tract of forty- 
acres of timberland. He is extensively engaged in stock-raising and 
this branch of his business has proven to him a profitable source of 
income. Everything about his place is neat and attractive in appear- 
ance and a glance indicates to the passer by that the owner is a pro- 
gressive and practical agriculturist. 

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Stalker has been blessed with one 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 529 

daughter, Maude, who is the the wife of Dr. L. (i. Lemley, of Blooming 
Prairie, Minnesota. The parents hold membership in the Friends church. 
in which they were reared. Mr. Stalker is a strong temperance .nan 
and gives his political support to the Prohibition party which repre- 
sents his views concerning the liquor question. For fifty years he 
lias resided in Richland township and has therefore witnessed much 
of the growth and improvement of the county which was reclaimed 
from the red men for the uses of a higher civilization represented by 
the white man. Mr. Stalker has borne a prominent part in the work 
of reclaiming the wild land and has contributed in no small degr.ee in 
his locality toward winning for the state its splendid reputation as one 
of the leading agricultural sections of the Union. 



HENRY ABEL, JR. 

One of the solid ami representative citizens of the county, and one 
who reflects credit upon his German ancestry, is the gentleman whose 
name precedes this paragraph. Mr. Abel is a native of Benton town- 
ship, where he was born on the 26th of February, 1848. His father 
was Henry Abel, Sr., a native of the fatherland, born in Hesse-Darm- 
stadt in 1824. He passed the period of youth in his native province, 
and was apprenticed to the weaver's trade. Upon arriving at maturity 
he emigrated to America and came directly to the state of Iowa. He 
was soon after joined in marriage in Fort .Madison to Miss Mary Eliz- 
abeth Miller, who was also a native of the same province as her hus- 
band, having come to this country with our subject's father in the same 
boat, they being married almost immediately upon arrival in the state. 

Mr. Abel's parents soon after settled in Benton township, Keokuk 



530 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

county, on a farm of eighty acres. This was about the year 1845. 
They immediately proceeded to improve the farm, it being in the tim- 
bered section, and soon had it under a high state of cultivation. This 
date makes them one of the earliest pioneer families in the county. 
They became the parents of twelve children, an equal number of boys 
and girls, our subject being the eldest son. The names of the family 
were as follows: Kathrine, deceased; Henry, Jr., the subject of this 
sketch ; Elizabeth ; Barbara, deceased ; Leonard and Dora, twins. Dora 
being deceased; William; David; Mary; Caroline, died in infancy; 
George, also died in infancy; and John W. All of these children were 
reared to manhood on the old homestead in Benton township. 

The parents are both deceased. Mr. Abel was a staunch Whig, 
and after the passing of that party, voted with the Democratic party 
He took some little part in the affairs of the township in his earlier 
davs. In religious belief the family were members of the L nited Breth- 
ren church. 

Henry Abel, Jr., our subject, remained dutifully at home engaged 
in helping his parents educate their large family until he was thirty years 
of age. In the meantime he had been engaged in some farming ven- 
tures for himself, and in the fall and winter gave considerable attention 
to the threshing business. He married in 1878 Miss Margaret Alice 
Wallace, a native of this county, born in Warren township, March 9, 
1852. Mrs. Abel is the daughter of Reuben Wallace, an old pioneer 
of this county, who was born in Dover, Delaware, November 23, 1N1 1 ; 
he came to Iowa in an early day and settled in Warren township, Keo- 
kuk county, and was married to Mary Elizabeth Kieth about the year 
1842. Mr. and Mrs. Abel are the parents of an interesting family of 
two boys and three girls — Laura Elizabeth, Rhoda May, Reuben 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 531 

Henry, Eliza Dora, and Walter Ray. For the first four years of his 
married life Mr. Abel rented a farm near Hickory Grove, but in 18S2, 
having accumulated the necessary capital, he was enabled to purchase 
his present place. This body of land now contains two hundred anil 
eight acres, and evidences the hard labor which he has bestowed upon it. 
He has brought it to a high state of cultivation, and has placed upon it 
all the improvements necessary for the conduct of so large a farm. 
He gives special attention to the feeding of hogs for the market, and 
raises and sells all kinds of grain. He follows his father in political 
belief, voting with the Democratic party. He is a representative and 
and highly esteemed citizen of the county, where he has passed his 
whole life time, and the authors of this volume are pleased to give him 
representation within its pages. 



HAXXO P. NEWTON. 

Hanno P. Newton requires no introduction to the major part of 
the readers of this volume, because he is so widely known in Keokuk 
county. He is now living a retired life in Keota, having after many 
years of close association with business affairs put aside the more ardu- 
ous duties of industrial life. He is of New England birth, having 
been born in Cheshire county, New Hampshire, on the 17th of Septem- 
ber, 1838. His father, the Hon. Hosea N. Newton, was likewise born 
in the old Granite state and was reared in Cheshire county, where he 
learned and followed the occupation of a cooper. In his native place 
he was also married to Miss Mary A. Eisk. likewise born in Cheshire 
county, and about 1840 they removed to Connecticut. At length the 
west attracted them and in 185X they marie their way to Keokuk count)-. 



532 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Iowa, taking up their abode upon a farm in Lafayette township, where 
both spent their remaining days, the mother passing away in 1880, while 
the father's death occurred in 1883. They were devout members of 
the Episcopalian church and were widely recognized as earnest Christian 
people. 

In his political views Mr. Newton was a stanch Republican, active 
in the work of the party and recognized as one of its leading members 
in this section of the state. In 1875-6 he represented his district in 
the state senate and he also held local offices in his township. He had 
marked influence over public thought and action because of the confidence 
reposed in him by his fellow men, and he ever labored earnestly and 
conscientiously for the welfare of his county and state. 

Hanno P. Newton is the only member of his parents' family that 
reached adult age. He was about a year and a half old when his 
parents removed to Connecticut, and in the public schools of that state 
he pursued his education to some extent and was also a student in a 
private boarding school. In 1858, when he was nineteen years of age, 
became to Keokuk county, Iowa, and assisted in the development of the 
home farm until after the death of his parents, his labors relieving his 
father of all care during his declining years. On the 2d of February, 1862, 
Mr. Newton was united in marriage to Maria De Berand, a native of 
Syracuse, New York, and a daughter of Charles and Susan De Berand, 
the family being of French descent. Mrs. Newton was their eldest 
child and bv her marriage she has become the mother of eight children, 
as follows: Bertha, who died at the age of five years; Ida, who died 
at ten years of age; Stella: Susan Mary, the wife of J. N. Ramsey: 
Minnie, the wife of R. A. Huston: Lulla. who married E. O. Smith; 
Charles N., who wedded Minnie Shaffer: and Lettie. the wife of A 1 . C. 
Martin. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 533 

At the time of his marriage Mr. Newton took his bride upon the 
old farm in this county and continued to engage in the tilling of the 
soil and in the raising of stock until 1896, when lie retired from farm 
life to enjoy further rest from labor save for the attention which he 
gives to his invested interests. Since 1884 he has been the secretary 
of the Farmers' Pioneer Mutual Insurance Company, of Keokuk, Iowa, 
and this claims his attention to some extent. He yet owns a valuable 
farm of one hundred and sixty -three acres, which is well improved and 
represents the work of himself and his father. In his political views 
Mr. Newton is a stanch Republican and in 1897 was appointed post- 
master at Keota, holding the position until 1902. He has served as 
township clerk and township trustee and is again filling the former po- 
sition, having been appointed to fill a vacancy. Almost continuously 
he has served in one public office or another, and over the record of 
his official career and his private life there falls no shadow of wrong 
or suspicion of evil. Prominent in the Masonic fraternity, he is now- 
serving as worthy master of Adelphi Lodge, No. 333, Free and Accepted 
Masons. He is also a member of Enterprise Lodge, No. 159, Independ- 
ent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has filled all of the offices and 
also has occupied all of the chairs in the encampment. He has repre- 
sented both lodges in the grand lodge and is true to the beneficent 
teachings of these fraternities. A consistent and helpful member of the 
Methodist church, he has served as one of its stewards for many years 
and has taken an active part in church work. For forty-four years he 
has been a resident of Lafayette township and has ever been deeply 
interested in its progress and improvement, taking just pride in what 
has been accomplished here as the county has emerged from conditions 
found upon the frontier to take its place among the leading counties of 
this great commonwealth. 



534 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

C. M. GLANDON. 

Through a long period C. M. Glandon has been a resident of 
English River township, Keokuk county, where he has carried on fann- 
ing with good success. He was born in this township, February 26, 
1861, and represents one of the old pioneer families of the locality. 
His father, Stephen M. Glandon, was a native of Indiana and on emi- 
grating westward located in English River township among the first 
settlers to establish homes within its borders. He secured eighty acres 
of school lands on which not a furrow had been turned or an improvement 
made, but he at once began to plow the tract and plant his crops and 
eventually reaped rich harvests. He afterward added two hundred 
and six acres more to his place and improved the entire amount. When 
a young man he engaged in teaching school to some extent and also fol- 
lowed the occupation of carpentering, but during the greater part of 
his life he carried on farming. He was married at Deep River to Miss 
Elizabeth J. Rundle, a daughter of Oliver Rundle of Deep River, Iowa. 
Eight children, two sons and six daughters, were born of this union, 
our subject being the elder son and the fifth child. Of these Amanda 
died in infancy and Alma is also deceased. The others are: Emo- 
gene, the wife of Thomas Linebarger, of English River township; 
Laura, the wife of O. M. Worrell, a lumber dealer of North English, 
Iowa; C. M., of this review; Mollie, who died in early childhood; Hattie, 
the wife of I. Fuhrmaster; and David L. From the time when he 
located in Iowa in T850 until 1897 the father resided continuously 
upon the old homestead. He then removed to South English, where 
he remained for three years, and then passed away on the 18th of 
October, 1900, at the age of sixty-eight. He was a prominent and 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 535 

influential citizen of this community and aided in organizing the first 
church in his township, acting as one of its trustees until his death. 
This was the Methodist Episcopal church of South English. His 
political support was always given to the Republican party and he was 
ever loyal and fearless in defense of what he believed to be right. 

C. M. Glandon spent his early childhood days on the old home farm 
and acquired his early education in the district school, after which he 
entered Iowa College at Grinned, Iowa, remaining there as a student 
for two years. When twenty-three years of age he was married, on 
the ist of January, 1884, to Delia Noffsinger, a native of English River 
township, and a daughter of David Noffsinger, a farmer and an early 
resident of that township. The home of our subject and his wife was 
blessed with seven children, four sons and three daughters: Nellie, 
Roy, Clarence, Irene, Donald and Loran twins, and Gladys. 

Air. Glandon remained at home until his marriage, when he pur- 
chased the farm upon which he now lives, comprising one hundred and 
sixty acres of rich and arable land. Everything about the place is 
neat in appearance and indicates the careful supervision of the thrifty 
owner. He uses the latest improved machinery and all modern equip- 
ments and his farm is now a pleasing picture of the landscape. He 
belong to South English Camp. No. 6168, Modern Woodmen of 
America, and holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church 
of South English. Erom the time he attained his majority he has 
been a stanch Republican and is at present serving as assessor of English 
River township. Having always made his home in this locality he is 
widely known in this portion of the county and the circle of his friends 
here is an extensive one. 



536 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

HARVEY OLIVER TRESSLAR. 

Harvey Oliver Tresslar, a well known and prosperous farmer in 
section 7, Sigourney township, was born April 22, 1850, in Johnson 
count}", Indiana. His father, Henry C. Tresslar, a Virginian by 
birth, moved with his parents to Ohio, thence to Johnson county, Indi- 
ana, where the subject of this narrative was born, and like his son, 
possessed marked ability as a farmer. Coming to Keokuk county 
from Indiana in June, 1852, and locating in section 18. Sigourney 
township, the father bought a farm of some four hundred acres and by 
thrift and able management added thereto until he found himself pos- 
sessed of about eight hundred acres of fine land ; enough to provide 
handsomely for his children as they came of age, each receiving a good 
farm at his generous hands. The father lived to be sixty-seven years 
of age and was widely known for his ability and success as a farmer 
and further as an influential member of the Democratic party, which he 
rendered invaluable assistance, always without seeking the rewards of 
office or personal preferment. His wife was Hannah Byrd, also a native 
of Virginia, who moved, however, when quite young to Ohio and lived 
to the ripe old age of seventy-eight. Her father, Thomas Byrd. was 
of German descent and also born in Virginia. 

John Tresslar. grandfather of our subject, was also born and 
reared in the natal state of our first great President, was of good old 
German stock and lived to the advanced age of ninety-six. He served 
as a private in the war of 1812 with honor and devotion to his cause. 
Like his descendants, he, too, was a farmer of marked ability and at 
onetime operated a mill in Ohio with considerable financial success. 

Harvev Oliver Tresslar was the youngest of eight children, three 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 537 

daughters and rive sons, all of whom lived to maturity. He was of the 
tender age of about two years when he came to Keokuk count}-. Here 
he was reared and received a good education at the Sigourney township 
schools. He first located in Warren township, from which he went 
to his present location, where he passed about five years, thence he went 
back to his father's home for about the same period and finally located 
permanently where he now lives, building himself a comfortable and in- 
viting home, setting out a fine orchard and establishing himself among 
most enviable surroundings as a prosperous farmer. 

On April 8, 1880, he wedded Barbara Taux of West Point, New 
York, who was born on November 4, 1857, and was a daughter of Joseph 
and Madelina Taux, both natives of Germany. She was the fourth 
child and second daughter of the eight children born to them and was 
brought to Keokuk county when only two months old and there received 
an excellent education in the Sigourney schools. 

He has been a life long Democrat and has taken an active part 
in politics; for seven years he was trustee in bis township; was member 
of the school board and has been throughout his career distinguished 
foi his ability and activity in affairs throughout the state ami county, 
as well as for his integrity and business ability. He has given munifi- 
cent support to the church and has in general exercised a strong influence 
in the direction of progress and the improvement of all things about 
him. 

CHARLES BAKEHOUSE. 

Among the leading citizens and prominent farmers of Keokuk 
count}", we take pleasure in giving a sketch of this worthy gentleman, 
who was born in a log house in German township on section 17, and he 



53S GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

has spent his entire life in agricultural pursuits in the county. The 
date of his birth was March 2, 1853, and he was the son of Charles 
and Sophia ( Vbltmer) Bakehouse, and is one of a family of five children. 
He was reared on the farm where he was born and received the rather 
limited education that was current in that early day, conning his lessons 
in the rude log schoolhouse of that pioneer time. He very early became 
familiar with farm work, and in his home was taught lessons of thrift 
and industry, lessons which were well learned and have had their fruit 
in the later successful life of our subject. 

He remained at home until his marriage, which occurred on the 
1st of January, 1881. The lady whom he married was Miss Anna 
Schulte, a native of Amsterdam, Holland, where she was born on the 
5th of November. 1862. The name of her father was Caret Schulte, 
lie having been a native of Hanover, Germany; he had removed to 
America in 1874, and located in Sigourney. He later removed to 
German township, where he died in 1899, m the eighty-fifth year of 
his age. His wife was Mar)- (Volen) Brook, and she was born in 
Almelo, Holland. She still survives, living in Dubuque, Iowa. They 
reared but two children, a son and a daughter, the son's name being 
Anton G, a prominent practicing attorney, who died at Sigourney in 
1900. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Bakehouse was blessed with a 
family of eight children: Clara, born October 18, 1881 ; Mary, born 
December jo, 1883; Francis, October 11, 1885; Jennie. January 28, 
1888; Tillie, October 6, 1889; Bertha, January 8, 1893; George, Novem- 
ber 22, 1896; Gertie, January 8, 1898. 

Mr. Bakehouse upon his marriage immediately settled upon the 
farm upon which he now resides, and which he has cultivated with a 
hie-h degree of success since that time. He has two or three bodies 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HiSTORY. 539 

of land, in all one thousand and twenty acres. Six hundred and twenty 
of this is in the home farm, one hundred and sixty near hv, and two 
hundred and forty arces in Sigourney township, on section 16. He 
also has property in the city of Sigourney and Harper. He is one 
of the largest stock raisers in the county, and is looked upon as a 
gentleman of the very highest repute and character. While he is 
Requblican in politics, he holds his vote for the very best man at all 
times. He has taken an active interest in everything that pertains to 
the welfare of his township and county, and by a very large circle of 
acquaintances is regarded as a man of unimpeachable integrity, whose 
\\<>nl is as good as bond. He and his family deserve and receive the 
kind offices of a large circle of friends, which they delight to return in 
kind. 



GEORGE R. BELL. 

George R. Bell is one of the prominent farmers and well known 
citizens of Van Buren township, Keokuk county, Iowa, and belongs to 
the hardy and vigorous race of Scots. His parents were Dr. John and 
Mary (Graham) Bell; the former came in young manhood from Scot- 
land to Brooklyn, New York, where he practiced his profession for 
some years, and then returned with his family to his native land. Later 
m life he with his family again made the long voyage and this time 
located at Glens Falls, New York, where he and his wife both passed 
away. He was a man of scholarly attainments, a graduate of the 
University of Scotland and a physician of unusual skill. In his native 
land he married Mary Graham, who was also born and reared there, 
and they had a family of seven children, as follows: Ellen, \.gnes, 



540 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

John, Mary Ann, Jemima, Jesse and George R., all born in Scotland. 

George is the youngest child of the above mentioned family and the 
only survivor. He was born in Scotland. October 31, 1833. a,1( ' was 
but eleven years old when first brought to the United States. He ac- 
companied his parents on their return to Scotland and was engaged in 
farming there until he came the second time to this country. He had 
been married in 1854 and in 1861 embarked with his family for America, 
they being on the sea when the news of the Civil war was made known. 
He located at French Mountain, New York, and was engaged in farm- 
ing and buying supplies for the vessels. This he continued for three 
years and then came to Muscatine county. Iowa, where he took up farm- 
ing. In 1874 he came to Keokuk county and located on his present 
farm, which then consisted of one hundred and ninety-six acres. Here 
he has made improvements and erected buildings and brought the land 
under a fine state of cultivation, adding from time to time to the place 
until he at one time had four hundred acres, but he now has two hundred 
and seven acres. He is a very capable man of business and has bought 
and sold land extensively since coming here. 

In 1854 Mr. Bell was united in marriage with Miss Jessie Alston, 
who is a native of Scotland and was also reared and educated there. She 
is the daughter of William C. and Jane (Goss) Alston, both of whom 
died in the old country. Mr. and Mrs. Bell became the parents of 
eight children, as follows: William; Mary; James; Allen; Jessie, de- 
ceased ; John ; George, deceased ; and Charles. In politics Mr. Bell 
is identified with the Democratic party, although he is no office-seeker. 
His large estate is well managed and he has a reputation for raising 
the finest stock in this locality. The family is much respected, and as 
one of the solid, substantial and reliable men of Van Buren township, 
George R. Bell is held in high esteem. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 541 

JOHN W. SCHRIEVER. 

Horn December 10, 1842, in Germany, he spent his boyhood years 
in acquiring a college education and also in fitting himself for a practical 
life by learning the profession of druggist. In i860, at the age of 
eighteen, he emigrated to the United States and located in New York 
City, where he remained seven years, partly engaged in the New York 
Stailt Theatre, and partly as private teacher of ancient and modern 
languages. In 1867 he removed to Highland Falls, New York, near 
\Vest Point, where for a number of years he was engaged in the manu- 
facture of cigars. In the year 1873 he concluded to go west and de- 
cided on Sigourney as a location. There he continued in the manufac- 
ture ot cigars, and also tried his hand at the newspaper business by be- 
coming the Founder of the Sigourney Courier, a German paper, which 
still flourishes. At the start Mr. Schriever had as partners in the en- 
terprise Messrs. T. Schiffer and Levi Bower, who soon withdrew, leaving 
Mr. Schriever in sole possession. He then took Air. Charles Starr as 
partner, to whom he sold out his interest after the paper was firmly es- 
u Wished, but continued in charge of the editorial department a year 
longer. 

In 1882 Mr. Schriever removed to the town of Delta, where he re- 
mained about a year in the drug business, and then came to Richland, 
where he has since resided. He was first in partnership with Henry 
Burns about five years, then be bought that gentleman's interest and 
has since conducted the business alone. During the Civil war Mr. 
Schriever served in the United States navy on hoard the sloop of war 
Lackawanna, the flag-ship of the West Gulf blockading squadron, which 
was mainly engaged in blockading the port of Galveston, Texas. At 
the close of the war he received an honorable discharge. 



542 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

The married life of Mr. Schriever began in 1869, when lie was 
joined to Margaret Young, a native of Bavaria, Germany, who came 
to America as a child. She died in 1886, after having become the mother 
of six children, of whom only two are living, Alice Clara and Elma 
May, who both reside with their father. Mr. Schriever belongs to 
the Grand Army of the Republic and the Modern Woodmen of America. 
While not a party man, he has always taken a great interest in politics 
without striving to attain any political eminence. Still he has been hon- 
ored by minor offices of trust, such as treasurer of his school district, and 
for seventeen years as treasurer of the town of Richland. Though lead- 
ing a busy life, the subject of this biography has found time to give his 
thoughts to economic subjects, on which he holds original ideas, em- 
bodied in his work entitled "Equal Chances," which is, in his opinion, 
bound in due time to greatly improve mankind mentally, socially and 
physically. 

J. F. RANDOLPH. 

J. F. Randolph is a leading and representative farmer of Lafayette 
township living on section 15. He was born in Mercer county, Illinois, 
May 5, 1848, and is a twin brother of John Randolph, a hardware 
merchant of Keota, who is mentioned elsewhere in this work. The 
subject of this review was about one year of age when his parents 
removed from his native county to Rock Island county, Illinois, settling 
in Edgington township, where the next thirteen years of his life were 
passed. In 1864 the family came to Iowa, locating; in Liberty town- 
ship, and there our subject assisted his father in the work of the home 
farm until he began business for himself. In 1870 he turned his atten- 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 543 

ti< ii to agricultural pursuits upon the farm which is yet his home. He 
is an enterprising and progressive man, who in his work follows modern 
methods and has prospered in his undertakings. In connection with 
the raising of cereals best adapted to the soil and climate he has a good 
grade of stock, consisting of cattle, horses and hogs, upon his place. 
He now owns one hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, which is 
well improved, and the farm is one of the pleasing features of the 
landscape. 

In 1874 Air. Randolph was joined in wedlock to Miss Mary J. 
Rowe, the eldest daughter of Jacob and Jonana (Carmichael) Rowe. who 
were early settlers of Keokuk county. It was here that Mrs. Randolph 
was burn, spending her girlhood days in her parents' home. Five 
children blessed this union: George J., John Burton, Emma B., and 
Grace. Three of the children are married. George wedded Maude 
Rickard, a daughter of Daniel Rickard; John married Ella Gillaland. 
a daughter of Archibald Gillaland; Emma is the wife of John Wade, 
a son of James Wade, of Iowa county, Iowa; the youngest child 
of the family is at home, and one child is dead. The parents hold mem- 
bership in the Presbyterian church and are people of genuine worth. 
Mr Randolph is serving as one of the elders of the church in Keota, 
and has taken an active and helpful part in promoting its growth and 
extending its influence. He is also a strong temperance man and votes 
the Prohibition ticket. From the age of sixteen years Mr. Randolph 
has continuously made his home in Keokuk county and has gained a 
wide acquaintance here, while the circle of his friends is co-extensive, 
owing to the possession of those qualities which always command re- 
spect and regard. 



544 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

HENRY J. MOHME. 

Emigration, as those conversant with the subject well know, is 
largely influenced by certain prima] causes, chief among these being- 
climatic conditions similar to those accustomed to and relationship of 
language, religion and political beliefs between the incomers and those 
already settled. The first difficulty is to "break the ice," as the average 
human being dislikes to leave the old home, but if a start is mice made, 
if a tew go and report favorably, it is comparatively easy to induce 
others to follow. A handful of Irish. Swedes, Italians and other nation- 
alities having settled in a locality are often the means of drawing great 
colonies, who eventually grow to such dimensions as to dominate the 
community. 'I he sheep and the wild geese are not the only animals 
who follow a leader or cross the line promptly in imitation of the "bell 
wether." These remarks are introductory in a general way to the 
specific cases of the Mohme family, with a view to accounting for their 
appearance in Keokuk count}'. The simple reason is that relatives had 
come in advance and wrote back such glowing accounts of the oppor- 
tunities of Iowa that their kinsfolk across the water decided to abandon 
the fatherland and seek homes in the prosperous commonwealth on the 
banks of the Unner Mississippi. This party included Henry and Chris- 
tina (Miller) Mohme and their son Henry J., who was born in Prussia, 
October 24, 1847. They came over in 1863 and located on a farm one 
mile northeast of Sigourney, in the county of Keokuk, and the cultiva- 
tion of this land constituted the father's business until his death, in 1865, 
at the age of forty-nine years. His widow rema'ned on the farm until 
the children grew to maturity and passed her declining years in Sig- 
ourney, where she died June 6, 1902, a little over seventy-nine years 
old. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 545 

Her son, Henry J. Mohme, continued to work on the farm until his 
marriage, June 23, 1 N 7 1 . to Emma Lena Fritz, and two years later went 
to Texas. He remained in that state two years, engaged in farming 
and railroading, when he returned to Keokuk county and occupied the 
old homestead until 1880, then taking up his residence at Sigourney. 
He was employed as associate editor of the Sigourney Courier until 
1884, when he purchased the plant from J. C. Starr and has since con- 
ducted the paper. It is a German weekly. Democratic in politics and 
has a large circulation among the Germans in Keokuk and adjoining 
counties. Though of such great service to his part}- in assisting to 
bring an important and influential element to its support, and one of 
the leaders by virtue of his editorial position. Mr. Mohme has never 
sought political preferment, his only official position being the non-lucra- 
tive one of member of the school board. His membership in Webb 
Lodge. Xo. 182, of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Sigourney, 
constitutes his only fraternal connection. Mr. Mohme' s wife died May 
19. 1902. leaving five children, whose names are Charles. Mary, Flora. 
Walter and Louis. 



O. N. JOHNSON. 

The life history of him whose name heads this sketch is closely 
identified with the history of Keokuk county, which has been his home 
since he was four years of age. He began his career in the early pio- 
neer epoch of the county and throughout the years which have since 
come and gone he has been closely allied with its interests and upbuild- 
ing. His life has been one of untiring activity and has been crowned 
with a degree of success attained by comparatively few men, for he is 



546 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

well known throughout the county as one of its leading agriculturists 
and one of the substantial business men of the town of Richland, where 
he is serving as vice president of the Union State Bank. 

Mr. Johnson was born in Hendricks county, Indiana, on the gth 
of March, [842. His father, the Hon. J. C. Johnson, claimed North 
Carolina as the state of his nativity, and he was a son of Jeremiah John- 
son, also a native of that commonwealth. The son, J. C, accompanied 
his parents on their removal to Hendricks county, Indiana, when he was 
eighteen years of age, and there he became identified with agricultural 
pursuits. Remaining in the Hoosier state until 1846, he then came 
with horse and ox teams to Keokuk county, Iowa, and the part which he 
took in founding and developing the county well entitled him to he 
inscribed high on the roll of Keokuk's honored pioneers and eminent 
men. During his first season here he farmed on rented land in Richland 
township, after which he purchased a farm east of the village of Rich- 
land, but subsequently sold his possessions here and returned to his old 
home in Indiana. The old Hoosier state, however, (lid not long claim 
him among its residents, for he soon came again to Iowa, this time pur- 
chasing eighty acres of prairie land near Richland, and sixty acres of 
white oak timber land. He also entered into business pursuits in the 
village, but shortly afterward he retired from the active duties of life, 
and his death occurred in 1892, when he had reached the seventy-seventh 
milestone on the journey of life. He was an active factor in the public 
life of the community, was a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, 
and was the choice of his party for the office of state senator on one 
occasion, in which important position he served for one term. He was 
also called upon to fill many local offices, and his fidelity to the public 
trust in the discharge of his official duties was most marked. In his 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 547 

fraternal relations he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd 
Fellows. 

The marriage of Air. Johnson was celebrated in Indiana, where 
Miss Prudence Saunders became his wife. She was a native daughter 
of the Buckeye state, but was reared in Indiana, and her death occurred 
in her sixty-sixth year. The union of Mr. and Airs. Johnson was 
blessed with two daughters and a son, the former being Amanda, the 
wife of H. W. Troay, and Martha, the wife of J. M. Warker, of Rich- 
land. The only son in this family, O. X. Johnson, was but four years 
of age when he was brought by his parents to Keokuk county, Iowa, 
being reared on a farm in Richland township, while his early mental 
training was received in the schools of the village of Richland. Remain- 
ing under the parental roof until his marriage, he then removed to a 
tract of forty acres, and in 1865 he became the owner of the place on 
which he now resides. At the time of the purchase the place was prac- 
ticallv unimproved, and the many and valuable accessories which have 
since been added stand as monuments to his thrift and ability. During 
the past thirty-five years, in addition to the raising of the cereals best 
adapted to this sod and climate, he has also been extensively engaged in 
the stock business, and in both lines of endeavor success has crowned 
his efforts. He is now the owner of four hundred acres of rich and 
fertile land, which is divided into three farms, and all are well improved 
with good residences, barns and outbuildings. In 1895 Mr. Johnson pur- 
chased the interest of Mr. Stroup in the John Stroup Bank and was made 
itc president. One year later this institution was organized into the 
Union State Bank, of which Mr. Johnson was made vice president, its 
president being Charles Reiser. In the business circles of Keokuk 
county our subject has long been an important factor, and his popularity 



548 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

is well deservedj for in him are embraced the characteristics of an un- 
bending integrity, unabating energy and industry that has never nagged. 
In 1864 occurred the marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Julia 
Duke. The lady was a native of Virginia but came to Keokuk county, 
Iowa, when sixteen years of age. and was a daughter of Thomas Duke. 
Two children were born of this union, Floyd M., who married Dora 
Reed, and is engaged in railroad work; and Raymond, a veterinary 
surgeon of St. Joe, Missouri, and for the past three years he has served 
as a government inspector; he married Kate Connors. In 1882 the 
loving wife and mother was summoned to eternal rest, and for his pres- 
ent wife Mr. Johnson chose Delia Hill, a native of Indiana. He. too, 
is a stanch supporter of Republican principles, while his fraternal rela- 
tions for a number of years connected him with Richland Lodge. N< 1. 
38, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Nearly all his life having been 
spent in Keokuk county, he is widely known among its citizens and is 
held in uniform regard. 



HENRY SNAKENBERG. 

Among the well known and highly respected pioneers of this 
county was Dietrich Snakenberg, a farmer, and for fifty years local 
preacher in the Methodist church. He and his wife. Mary Seaba, 
were both natives of Hanover, Germany. Both emigrated to this 
country before their marriage, which took place in West Virginia, where 
Oietrich engaged in coal mining. After continuing in West Virginia 
a short time they settled in Washington county, Iowa. This was in 
T839. The New Purchase was opened for settlement on May 1, 1843. 
and in the fall of that year he entered this new tract, making his home 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY 



551 



in what is now German township, Keokuk county. He lived there until 
his death in 1S98, having attained the age of ninety-three years, lacking 
eleven days. His wife died in 1880, aged sixty-seven. They had 
eight children : John, born in West Virginia, died at the age of twenty- 
five; Henry, the subject of this sketch; William, a farmer in this county 
occupying the old homestead; Mary, who is a widow: Anna, also a 
wid.»w living at Keota; Minnie, unmarried, whose home is in this 
county; John Dietrich, also of this county; and Louisa, who like Minnie 
is unmarried and resides in Keokuk county. The family are Meth- 
odists. Dietrich associated himself with the Democratic party. 

Henry, his son, was born in Washington county, this state, Jul) 
17, 1840. He attended the common school and lived with his parents 
on the farm until he was twenty-seven years of age. August 8, t86~, 
he married and moved to a farm of his own in German township and 
up to this day he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He has 
always been a Democrat in a Republican county, and his election to 
several township offices indicates his popularity with the voting element. 
In 1899 he was elected county treasurer and made such a splendid 
official that he still holds the office, having been re-elected in 1901. His 
wife was formerly Miss Margaret Hartman, a native of Switzerland, 
who came to America with her parents when she was five years old; 
her family settled near Burlington. Iowa, and in 1856 moved to Keokuk 
county. Mr. and Mrs. Snakenberg are both members of the Meth- 
odist church. They had three children. One died at the age of seven; 
the daughter, Etta May, is the wife of David Beinhart, of Jefferson, 
Iowa ; and the son, Frank D., is his father's deputy. 



552 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

FREDERICK LEVI BOWER. 

The life of any individual is an interesting drama, and until the 
closing act is over holds the attention of humanity. But as some pro- 
ducts of the playwright's skill have more of interest than others, so in 
real life men's careers differ and are filled with a varying amount of 
the events which rivet the attention. The career of Mr. Bower, which 
must be all too briefly sketched here to place it in full rounded outline 
before the reader, has many points which will render it especially fitting 
to be placed in this history, where it will prove of benefit to the many 
who will read it. 

His parents were natives of German} - , and their names were Samuel 
and Hannah Frederica Bauer; the name has since been given its Amer- 
ican form of Bower. The former was a farmer by occupation and 
sought in the free land of America the opportunities for that pursuit 
which are denied in any other country on the globe. One of the curious 
freaks of nature was exemplified in the body of his wife. Eleven years 
after her death the family decided to move her remains to another bury- 
ing ground and on exhuming the body it was found to be in a perfect 
state of petrifaction; very few instances of this strange phenomenon have 
ever been known. 

Frederick Levi was born at bis father's home in Marion county, 
Ohio, May 7, 1842. He remained at home until he was thirteen years 
old, and consequently the education which he obtained up to that time 
was rather meager, but his desire to learn never left him, and later when 
he was spending the hours of the day in toil he attended a night school 
at St. Louis and gave himself an education, more valuable in some 
respects than one obtained with less difficulty. At the age of thirteen bis 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 553 

parents consented to his leaving home and he became an apprentice to the 
carpenter's trade, which he learned, and at the age of sixteen was in 
St. Louis acting as foreman of a shop. He remained there working 
at his trade until he was twenty years old, and also did some contracting. 
At the breaking out of the Civil war he went back to Iowa and for 
awhile taught school, which is a proof of how well he made use of his 
opportunities to gain an education. In 1862 he was attracted by the 
reports of the fortunes to lie made in the gold fields of California and 
he made the trip overland, but after he had delved for the hidden 
treasure for a time, failing health caused him to return to Iowa in Janu- 
ary. 1864. Mr. Bower had first come to Iowa in 1853. on T une -8. at 
a time when there were few white folks but many red men there on 
Wolf creek, near his home. And he recalls the fact and quaintly ex- 
presses it by saying that wild deer and turkeys were thicker than rabbits 
and pigeons are now, and one day he saw a drove of about one hundred 
and seventy deer in one herd moving from the northwest to the south- 
east. Since returning \<> Iowa 111 [864 he has made this state his home. 
He bought a farm two miles west of Harper and has followed farming, 
but of late years has given some attention to mercantile pursuits. 

On November 10, 1864, Mr. Cower was drafted for service in the 
Union army, but was discharged at the first of the following month. It 
was during this year that his connection with the public life of Keokuk 
county began, and he has always shown himself to be a man of much 
public spirit. In that year he was elected clerk of the township and 
justice of the peace and continued to hold sometimes one and sometimes 
two township offices until 1874, when he was chosen one of the board 
of county supervisors. In this connection he was commissioned to build 
the present county jail. In 1877 he was elected to the office of county 



554 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

treasurer and two years later was re-elected. In 188.2 he was the 
cashier of the Union Bank of Sigourney, which is now the First Na- 
tional Bank. This is a brief record of his life in public capacity, and it 
is to his credit that he left his positions with the high regard of those 
who had chosen him as their representative. His connection with fra- 
ternal organizations has also been extensive. He joined the Masonic 
lodge in 1876 and has been a member of DuPains commandery, No. 6, 
at Oskaloosa, since 1882. He was made a member of the Independent 
Order of Odd Fellows in 1877 and is still connected with the lodge at 
Sigourney. He has been a member of the Ancient Order of United 
Workmen since 1876, and has belonged to the Legion of Honor since 
1878. He rilled all the chairs of these organizations except in the Odd 
Fellows. He belongs to the Keokuk county grange and was an officer 
at the time this far-famed body went out of existence. Mr. Bower was 
married at the old home which now belongs to him, on March 13, 1864, 
shortly after he returned from his tour in the gold fields. His wife's 
maiden name was Isabella M. Grove, and her father, B. T. S. Grove, 
was a blacksmith at an early clay in the town of Lancaster, Iowa, but 
when the county seat was moved to Sigourney, he took up his residence 
in Talleyrand. The first child born was named Amelia, and the date 
of her birth was December 12, 1864; Albert was born November 7, 
[866; Edward, who came into the world on September 15, 1868, is at 
present filling the office of county auditor; and the last child was born 
October 23, 1869. and is Dora-Bell Ludwig. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 555 

S. H. KIRKPATRICK. 

S. H. Kirkpatrick, who carries on general farming in Liberty town- 
ship and is one of the old residents of this section of Keokuk county, 
claims Virginia as the state of his nativity, his birtfj having occurred in 
Rockingham county of the Old Dominion on the cjth of February, 1856. 
His father, Thomas Kirkpatrick. was born in Loudoun county. Virginia. 
but was reared in Shenandoah count}', where he spent his childhood 
and acquired his education, receiving good instruction in both English 
and German. In early manhood he turned his attention to farming but 
later engaged in the business of auctioneering and cried at many sales 
in his portion of the state. He was married in Rockingham county to 
Poll\' Bowers, also a native of the Old Dominion, and they became the 
parents of eight children, seven sons and one daughter, as follows: 
Elizabeth, John J., Thomas J.. Benjamin F., George W., Martin V., 
William Penn, and S. H., of this review. The mother of these children 
died in Virginia and Mr. Kirkpatrick was again married about i860, his 
second union being with Abbie Lamb, also a native of the Old Dominion. 
They became the parents of seven children, five sons and two daughters : 
Andrew J.. Luther A.. Perry Hunter, Hugh, Mary, Sally, and Josephus, 
Of this number all are yet living with the exception of Sallie. The 
father remained on the old homestead in Virginia until just prior to his 
death when he removed to another farm in Rockingham county. There 
he died in 1877 at the age of seventy-six years. He was always an 
advocate of the Democracv and both he and bis wife were consistent 
members of the Brethren church. 

S, H. Kirkpatrick of this review spent the first seventeen years of his 
life in his native state and then started westward, locating in Champaign 
county, Illinois, where he remained for four vears. On the expiration 



556 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

of that perior he returned to Virginia, where he spent one year and then 
again started for the Mississippi valley. This time he settled in Liberty 
township, Keokuk count)-, Iowa, where he was employed for three years 
as a farm laborer, attending school in the winter months during this 
period. In 1879 he went to Nevada, where he remained for one se - ion, 
hut returned to Keokuk county, Iowa, in the fall of that year. He was 
married the following winter to Miss Anna B. Flory, a daughter of 
Samuel Flory, of Liberty township, the marriage being celebrated on the 
27th of January, 18S0. Their union has been blessed with eight child- 
ren, five sons and three daughters: Dessa V. S., Everett L., Orson ¥., 
S. Merle, Mary Pearl, John J., Venus B., and Homer Faustain Main. 
They also lost two children in infancy. 

Mr. Kirkpatrick has always followed the occupation of farming. 
After his marriage he purchased sixty-five acres of land in Liberty town- 
ship and later traded that property for a farm in Minnesota, removing 
his family to the latter state, where he remained for a year. Realizing 
that he had more fondness for Iowa as a place of residence he then re- 
turned to Keokuk county and settled upon part of the old homestead, 
which is now his place of residence. In his farm work he has pros- 
pered and now is the owner of a good tract of land, which is under a 
high state of cultivation and returns to him golden harvests for his 
labors. Socially he is connected with the Mystic Toilers, an organiza- 
tion which was recently formed in this state. At different times he 
has given his political support to the Democracy and to the Republican 
party, but at the present time he is a Republican. Although he has 
traveled quite extensively Mr. Kirkpatrick says that he has found no 
place he likes as well as Iowa and is content to here make his home. 
Through his enerprise and industry he has become one of the well-to-do 
and substantial citizens and agriculturists of Liberty township. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 557 

J. N. L. HARRIS. 

From pioneer times in the history of Keokuk county down to the 
present. J. N. L. Harris has been a resident of this portion of the state 
and makes his home upon a good farm on section 29, Richland town- 
ship. He was born in Cannon county, Tennessee, on the 18th of July, 
1836, and his paternal grandfather, Nicholas Harris, was one of the 
early residents of that state, to which place he removed from Kentucky, 
rhroughout his entire life he carried on farming. Among his children 
was John N. Harris, the father of our subject, and he too was born in 
( annon count}-. Tennessee, where he was reared and married. Through- 
out his entire life he carried on the occupation of farming, making it a 
source of livelihood for his family. He wedded Mary A. Goodloe, 
also a native of Cannon county, and they became the parents of three 
sons: William 1'., who now makes his home fifty miles from Nashville, 
Tennessee: J. N. L., of this review: and David Porter, who is also living 
in Cannon count) - , Tennessee. The parents held membership in the 
.Methodist church ami were people of genuine worth. Mr. Harris took 
a very active part in church work, was generous in his support of the 
cause of Christianity according to his means and long served as a class 
leader. He died when about forty vears of age and his wife passed away 
at the age of forty-five years. 

Air. Harris, whose name introduces this record, was only about 
four years of age at the time of his father's death and was largely reared 
by Ins grandmother, Mrs. Sarah Harris, in his native county. When 
hut a boy hardly old enough to manage the plow he began work in the 
fields anil he remained with his grandmother until about twelve years 
of agfe, when he was bound out to Logan Finger, with whom he remained 



558 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

for some time. He afterward returned to his grandmother, living 
with her until about the time lie attained his majority. At the age - 
of twenty years he was united in marriage in his native county to Jane 
C. 1 Moore and then located upon a farm, which he continued to cultivate 
until 1858, when he removed to Southwestern Missouri, settling in Chris- 
tian county. There he resided until 1863. when he came to Keokuk 
county, Iowa. While residing in Missouri he served as a member of 
the state militia for about six months. 

On his removal to this section of the state Mr. Harris took up his 
abode in Richland township, where he has since made his home, devoting 
his time and energies to general farming. In 1878 he located upon 
his present farm and has placed his land under a high state of cultivation, 
while all modern equipments and accessories of a model farm of the 
twentieth century have been added to his place. His life has been char- 
acterized by untiring industry and whatever he possesses is the result of 
his earnest toil. 

In 1893 Mr. Harris was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, 
who died in that year. She was the mother of five children, namely : 
W. R. ; Mary Ann, the wife of Edward Kline; J. M. ; Isabelle Tennessee, 
the wife of E. M. Euliss; and Louise, the wife of W. J. Ives. Mr. 
Harris is a member of the Missionary Baptist church and his Christian 
faith is largely moulded by its teachings, as indicated by his life and his 
conduct toward his fellow men, who know him as an honorable and 
trustworthy citizen. In politics he is a stanch Republican, fearless in 
his defense of his honest convictions. He takes a deep interest in 
everything pertaining to the general welfare and has contributed in a 
large measure to movements for the public good. He has always favor- 
ed good roads and good schools and is the champion of anything that 



genealogical and biographical history. 559 

lends to advance public progress. Keokuk county won a valuable cit- 
izen when he decided to locate within its borders, for be has always 
been true to its best interests. 



FERDINAND CLEMENS. 
Ferdinand Clemens has passed the eighty-third milestone on life's 
journey and is one of the highly respected and venerable residents of 
Washington township. He became one of the early settlers of Keo- 
kuk county and for many years was identified with its agricultural in- 
terests and is still the owner of two hundred and twenty acres of rich 
and arable land, upon which be lives, but does not personally conduct 
the farm. He was born in Licking county, Ohio, June 18, 1819. His 
father, Eleazer Clemens, was a native of Massachusetts and there spent 
the first twelve years of his life, when with bis mother he came to Lick- 
ing county, Ohio, driving across the country in a wagon, to which was 
hitched a yoke of oxen. It can well be imagined that the journey was 
a very slow one as compared to the modern methods of travel, when 
the steam cars cross in a single day distances which then required weeks. 
Eleazer Clemens remained with his mother until his marriage with 
Hannah Mead, a native of Vermont, but reared in Ohio, where she 
came with her parents. She was only fifteen years of age when mar- 
ried, and became the mother of thirteen children, seven sons and six- 
daughters, of whom the subject of this review is the fourth in order of 
birth. In an early day in the history of Keokuk county the father 
brought his family to Iowa, settling in Washington county upon a farm 
which his son Ferdinand had previouly improved. There he remained 
until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-eight years of age. 



560 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Alter living in Iowa for two years Ferdinand Clemens returned to 
Ohio and was married in Licking county to Miss Sarah Layton, a native 
of Virginia. By the death of her parents she was left an orphan in 
early girlhood and then made her home with an uncle until her marriage. 
Not long after the wedding was celebrated Mr. Clemens brought his 
bride to Iowa and located on the farm in Washington county on which 
he had previously taken up his abode. There they remained for about 
eight years and during that time two children were born to them: Ferdi- 
nand, who is now engaged in blacksmithing in Delta, Iowa ; and Aurora, 
deceased. The mother died in 1S80, and Mr. Clemens was again mar- 
ried, his second union being with Lydia Colbert, a native of Ohio, who 
died on the old homestead in this county, August 19, 1899. 

On selling his farm in Washington county. Mr. Clemens came to 
Keokuk county and purchased a farm in Washington township, com- 
prising two hundred and twenty acres, most of which was raw land. 
He took up his abode upon that place and at once began to improve the 
property, transforming the wild land into richly cultivated fields, from 
which he annually garnered rich harvests. He kept abreast with 
modern methods of farming, operated his land with the latest improved 
machinery and made his place very productive and valuable. He con- 
tinued the work of the farm until within recent years, since which time 
he has lived retired, in the enjoyment of a well earned rest, which 
should come to all in the evening of life. In his political views he 
has always been a Democrat, but has never been a politician. His life 
was bus)' and useful and his rest is well merited. He has formed a wide 
acquaintance in Iowa and has ever commanded the respect of his fellow 
men bv reason of his o-enuine worth. 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 561 

WILLIAM LUTHER ETTER. 

The early fathers of this American republic were wise when they 
set Up as their first institutions the church and the public school. And 
in the school has been the bulwark of our nation for all time; its in- 
fluence has been the more powerful because it begins with the supple 
twig of American manhood and gives it the proper bent, after which 
its growth is sure and. steady in the right direction. But the school is 
an institution for the young, and its direct influence is no longer felt 
when the child has bee .me a man. This large field of power, which 
was once usurped by the demogogue in the popular assembly of the 
ancient republican nations, has been occupied by that most marvellous 
organ, the newspaper, which is to-day the most powerful factor in in- 
fluencing public opinion and expends its civilizing and beneficent force 
upon the mind of every citizen of this country. With this comprehen- 
sion of the place of the newspaper in every American home we can 
better estimate the importance of the work of William Luther Etter, 
who is the publisher and editor of the Sigourney Review, .me of the 
leading journals of Keokuk county, [owa. The Review is Democratic 
in its political sympathies, has a weekly issue and has been under the 
management of Mr. Etter since 1899. 

Mr. Etter's parents were John and Lydia ( Koser ) Etter, who were 
natives of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and were descended from 
German ancestors. Mr. Etter himself was born in the same count) as 
his parents on January 25. i860, and was the youngest of seven children. 
He was a farmer boy. attended the country schools, and being ambitious 
to gain more than a common school education, he entered the Cum- 
berland Valley State Normal School and later was a student in Cornell 



562 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

College al Mount Vernon, Iowa, from this latter institution being 
graduated in 1889. He had come west to Iowa in 1883 and was 
one of the successful teachers of the state. In 1889 he was elected 
superintendent of the schools of Cedar county, and so popular was his 
administration of this office of trust that he was re-elected and held the 
position fur six years. For the next three years he was superintendent 
of the Tipton schools, and it was at the conclusion of this term of 
service that he determined to enter the journalistic work, and came to 
Sigourney and purchased the Review, which he has conducted with 
success that is gratifying to himself and his subscribers. In 1894 Mr. 
Etter married his estimable wife. Miss Flora Cotton, and they are now 
among the popular residents of Sigourney. 

A. W. CARMICHAEL. 

A. VV. Carmichael, who is a representative of the farming interests 
of English River township and one of the old residents of this locality, 
was born within the borders of the township December 10, 1857. His 
father, Emsley Carmichael, was a native of Ohio and when about thirty- 
five years of age sought a home beyond the Mississippi, taking up his 
abode near White Pigeon in English River township upon a farm of 
one hundred and twenty acres, all of which was raw land when it came 
into his possession. He at once began the task of making it fertile and 
productive and his efforts resulted in quickly working a transformation. 
It became one of the fine farm of the locality and continued to be his 
home until his death. Mr. Carmichael was married in Washington 
county, Iowa, to Avarilla Moore, a native of Ohio, who removed to 
Washington countv during her early girlhood, remaining there with her 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 563 

parents until her marriage. They became the parents of seven children, 
lour sons and three daughters, of whom our subject is the fourth child 
and third son. The record of the family is as follows: Martha, a widow 
residing a1 White Pigeon, Iowa; Francis M.; Sarah, deceased; A. W., 
of this review: Rebecca A., deceased; one who died in infancy; and 
Perry. The father followed the occupation of farming until his death, 
which occurred in 1864, on the old homestead near White Pigeon, 
when he was about sixty years of age. He always voted with the Dem- 
ocracy and was unswerving in his advocacy of the party. He held 
membership in the Christian church near White Pigeon. 

A. W. Carmichael early became familiar with farm work upon 
the old homestead, assisting in the labors of field and meadow during 
the months of summer, while in the winter season he attended the public 
schools. After attaining his majority he was married to Myra Morgan, 
on the 5th of May, 1878, and her father, Thomas Morgan, was one of 
the early settlers of Keokuk county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael 
were born four children, but they lost one in infancy. There are three 
daughters living: Iva Maude, Nellie A., and Verna, all at home. The 
second daughter, Nellie A., was graduated with high honors in the 
Sigourney high school at the age of eighteen years. 

Mr. Carmichael spent the first year after his marriage upon a farm 
in Adams township and then purchased ninety acres of land in English 
River township. Later he was given forty acres more in the same town- 
ship and he has since purchased fifty acres, so that he now has a valuable 
farm of about two hundred acres, all under a high state of cultivation. 
He belongs to the Masonic Lodge at South English, being a third de- 
gree Mason, and in his life he exemplifies the beneficent spirit of his craft. 
In politics he has always been a Republican and keeps well informed 



564 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

on the issues and questions of the da} - , but has never sought or desired 
public office for himself. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
church of Webster and his life is in harmony with his professions. 

THEODORE L. GOELDXER. 

Throughout his active business life Theodore L. Goeldner has 
been actively identified with the agricultural interests of Keokuk 
county, and is to-day numbered among the prominent farmers and stuck 
raisers of English River township. He was born in Clear Creek town- 
ship, this county, on the 17th of August, 1855, and is of German descent. 

His father, John W. Goeldner, was born December 4. 1820, in 
the village of Breslau, Silesia, German, and there he grew to man- 
hood, receiving a good practical education in the public schools of his 
native land. In earlv life he worked as a farm laborer and later was 
proprietor of an inn. Before leaving Germany he was married in 1846 
to Miss Dora Schnered. who was also born, reared and educated in 
Breslau. They became the parents of five children, two sons and three 
daughters, of whom three are still living, our subject being the fourth 
child and second son in order of birth. After his marriage the father 
continued to reside in Germany for six years and three of his children 
were born there. In July, 1852, he crossed the broad Atlantic in com- 
pany with his family, and on landing in the new world came at once to 
Keokuk county, Iowa, taking up his residence in Clear Creek township, 
where he entered one hundred and sixty acres of wild land. That place 
he improved and cultivated, being engaged in its operation throughout 
the remainder of his days. After a useful and well spent life he died at 
the home of his son Theodore in English River township at the age of 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 565 

sixty-six years. On becoming a naturalized citizen he joined the ranks 
of the Republican part}- and was ever afterward one of its ardent sup- 
porters, taking' an active part in political affairs. 

On the old homestead farm in Clear Creek township Theodore L. 
Goeldner gained an excellent knowledge of all the duties which fall to 
the lot of the agricnltnrist. while his literary education was received in 
the district schools of the locality. He remained at home assisting his 
father in the operation of the land until twenty-five years of age. 

On his twenty-fifth birthday— August 17, 1880— Mr. Goeldner 
married Miss Barbara Smith, who was born in German township and 
was there reared and educated. Unto them was born one child, who 
died in infancy, and the wife and mother died at her home near Webster 
in English River township on the 31st of January. 1S84. Our subject 
was again married. June S. 1886, his second union being with Miss 
Sarah J. Boehne, a native of Washington county, Iowa, where her 
childhood was passed and her education received. Her father. \\ illiam 
Boehne was born in Germany and on coming to this country became a 
farmer of Washington county, Iowa. Two children were bom of the 
second marriage of Mr. Goeldner. a son and daughter. The latter is 
still living but the son died in infancy. 

After his first marriage Mr. Goeldner bought a farm in English 
River township, consisting of one hundred and fifty-one acres of im- 
proved land, and he subsequently purchased ninety-eight acres more, all 
of which he still owns, it being bis home at the present time. He has 
placed this land under a high state of cultivation and ha. made many 
improvements thereon which add greatly to its value and attractive ap- 

pearance. 

On attaining bis majority Mr. Goeldner became identified with the 



566 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

Republican party, but is now a pronounced Democrat. He is widely 
and favorably known throughout the county where his entire life has 
been passed, and commands the respect and confidence of all with whom 
becomes in contact either in business or social life. Since 1891 he has 
been interested in the raising of fine stock, making a specialty of Aber- 
deen Angus cattle and at present has a herd of about thirty head of 
pure blooded stock. He also owns a thoroughbred Shire stallion. 

ERASTUS P. SCOTT. 
Iowa is indebted to the eastern states for much of her population. 
Her broad acres and beneficent institutions attracted a body of immi- 
grants in the early days, who for various reasons were dissatisfied with 
the crowded east, in whose blood coursed the intrepid spirit of their 
pioneer ancestors. Anion- those who came to the state from the land 
of the Buckeye just after the Civil war, was the gentleman whose name 
forms the heading for this article. He is a leading representative of the 
agricultural interests of Benton township, where he cultivates a farm 
of one hundred forty-eight acres. .Mr. Scott is of Irish descent, his 
father Andrew Z. Scott having been a native of Guernsey county, 
Ohio, where he was born May 18, 1826. When quite young 
be removed to Pennsylvania, where he was reared to man's es- 
tate. His father was Charles Scott, who came to America 
from Ireland with his parents when he was six years of a°-e. 
Upon arriving at manhood our subject's father left the Keystone state, 
and settled on a farm in Ohio, taking with him his newly married wife, 
whose maiden name was Susan McCullough. After a residence 01' some 
years in Ohio his parents removed to Wapello county, Iowa, where Un- 
settled with their family of eight children on a farm. This was in the 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 56? 

year 1869. and they continued to cultivate the farm in that county until 
1893, when they moved to Hedrick, Keokuk county, where the parents 
still reside. Fourteen children were born to our subject's parents, the 
same number that was born to his paternal grandparents. Mr. Scott is 
the eldest child., the names of the other living children being — Samuel 
C, Charles A., Thomas M., Debidee. Alice and Anice. (twins), Susan, 
Grant, Jennie, Narado, Josiah, Andrew. Mr. E. P. Scott, the imme- 
diate subject of this sketch, was born in Guernsev county, Ohio. Novem- 
ber 24, 1847. He accompanied his family on their various moves and was 
twenty-two years of age when they arrived in Iowa. He continued to 
reside at his home, and aided in the education of his parents' large family 
until 1873, when he began life for himself, choosing as a companion 
Miss C. W. Buchanan, a native of Illinois, where she was reared and 
educated. She is the mother of seven children, five of whom are living, 
viz. : Nellie, Cameron, Lloyd, Charles and Raymond ; two dead. Forest 
and Harrison; and all born in Keokuk county. Mr. Scott has a beauti- 
ful farm of one hundred and forty-eight acres which he is cultivating 
successfully together with forty acres in another tract in Wapello county. 
He is a good farmer and has his land in a highly cultivated state. Fie is 
regarded in his community as being a man whose word is as good as his 
bond, and he merits and receives the respect of a host of friends and 
neighbors. In politics he adheres to the principles promulgated by the 
Republican party and takes an active part in its campaigns. 



S. H. BOWMAN. 

The above named gentleman is one of the progressive men of 
Hedrick. He belongs to that class of representative citizens who, while 



568 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 

promoting their individual success, also contribute to the general wel- 
fare, and he enjoys an enviable position in the business circles of his 
section of Keokuk count)'. Samuel Bowman, his father, was a native of 
\\ est Virginia, removed after his marriage to Illinois and came from 
there to Jefferson county, Iowa, about 1S36. As this was before the 
organization of Iowa as a territory and ten years before its admission 
as a state of the Uuion, Samuel Bowman is justly entitled to rank as 
one of the earliest of the pioneers. He located in Jackson township, 
where he preempted land, but some years later removed to Keokuk 
county, where he settled on a farm in Jackson township, but spent his 
last days at Ioka, where he died in the ninetieth year of his age. He 
was a life-long Democrat, and had voted for Jackson and every Dem- 
ocratic candidate up to the time of his death. He was a son of Vlam 
Bowman, also a native of the Old Dominion, who came to Jefferson coun- 
ty, Iowa, late in life and found his grave there. Samuel and Elizabeth 
Bowman became the parents of ten children and the mother died after 
the removal to Keokuk county, when she was sixty-five years old. She 
was a daughter of Peter Bowman, a native of Germany, who settled in 
West Virginia early in the nineteenth century. S. H. Bowman, youngest 
of the ten children of his parents, was born in Jefferson county, Iowa. 
March 9, 1845, am ' was about one year old when the removal was 
made to Keokuk county. He was reared on a farm and was taught 
lessons of economy and industry as he grew to manhood, laying the 
foundation of a very practical latter day education in the county 
schools of Jackson township. He remained under the parental roof 
until he was twenty-two years of age, and then went into business with 
his father at Ioka, where they ran a general store for several years. This 
business was sold out in 1869, and for two years after our subject was 



GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY. 569 

engaged in farming in Jackson township. In 1871 he entered a store 
at Ioka as a clerk, where he remained until about 1874, and after 
another period of farming, took up the business of a collector, which he 
continued for two years. Again returning to the store-room, he engaged 
\\ itli Mr. McCullough at ioka, and in the meantime became interested in 
a drug husiness for himself. In 1881 and 1882 he clerked for 1". M. 
[srael, at Ioka. and afterward until 1888 was engaged at the trade of 
wagon-making in the same place. He was in business at Pekin in 1891 
and 1892 and later was connected with the firm of Bowman, Haynes & 
Sherdon at Ioka, where they did a general merchandise business. He 
sold out his interest in this firm in 1895. and during the following year 
was engaged in settling up his father's business in that locality He 
then came to Hedrick, and began the husiness in which he is now en- 
gaged, that of loaning money. In 1900 he was married to Miss Ida 
Shook, a native of Keokuk county, and a daughter of W. J. and Cathe- 
rine (Clarkson) Shook, one of the pioneer families of the county, who 
came here about 1857. Until 1896 Mr. Bowman had been prominently 
identified with the Democratic party in Keokuk county, and was re- 
garded as one of its valuable workers, but since then he has ceased to 
interest himself in political matters. He has held a number of local 
offices in the different localities where he has resided. Fraternally he 
has been affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 
1869. He is well known throughout the county, is familiar with its 
resources and needs, and takes a deep interest in its welfare. His genial 
nature and pleasant address, united with his business ability and general 
information, make Mr. Bowman a welcome guest in every social circle 
and valued as an adviser in all matters of importance. 






JAN— 1 



